Bite Me
by thegoblinjester
Summary: When self-proclaimed Supernatural investigator Alfred F Jones and his brother, Matthew Williams, travel to London, they find exactly what they're looking for. A British vampire, Arthur Kirkland, has a little meet-and-greet with the American, and they eventually become friends. Meanwhile, Mattie meets a werewolf. UsUk and PruCan. Will contain character death.
1. Vampires In London

**A/N This is gonna be one of my longest fics yet. Will contain UsUk, PruCan, a teensy bit of GerIta and MAYBE some implied kimchiburger. Maybe.**

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_He lapped up the final drops of blood off of his latest victim's cold, dead neck. The breeze from the open window chilled him pleasantly. With a swish and a snap, he was gone, leaving behind a cold, bloodless corpse, once belonging to a Duke's wife. Her body would not be found until the next day, when a maid's shriek would bring everybody and their uncle running. He left no trace, but for two holes at the base of her neck. He made no sound, but for the fluttering of feathered wings as he made his escape. And no one saw him, except for the lady's fat dog, who was too tired to bark at the intruder._

It was another cloudy day in London, and that was just the way I liked it. I had lived there for quite a long time, and overcast days there were more common than fast food joints in America. It was supposedly spring, but it could have been the middle of winter for all I cared. I didn't live in London merely for the lack of sunlight, however, I also lived there because it was where I was born and raised, and because I couldn't imagine a better place anywhere else.

I also suspected that the vampire who turned me might return there. I didn't know anything about him, except he had a thing for Brits. I hated him. Being a vampire is horrible. You can't eat garlic bread, you can't check your hair in a mirror, and you can't get tan. At all. So I just wanted my own little revenge on the one who was cruel enough to subject me to such a fate.

I didn't want to be immortal, either. Sure, it sounds grand in the beginning, but it has it's downsides. If you're immortal, there's nothing to motivate you. It makes anything exciting dull. It means you can't ever fall in love with a human. It means... Well, it's not as fun as it seems.

Contrary to popular belief, I could go walking around in the daytime, as long as I wasn't in direct sunlight. Also, we didn't _all_ turn into bats. Some turn into owls, others into dragonflies. Me? My animal form was a green, winged _rabbit_.

Embarrassing, I know. At least no one ever saw me.

I wish I could have been something cool, like a wizard. Alas, there was nothing I could do about it.

Where was I?

Oh yes, it was another cloudy day in London, and that was just the way I liked it. I was having a quaint breakfast of tea and biscuits(hey, just because I was a vampire didn't mean I couldn't enjoy good British cooking!) and working on the crossword puzzle. A typical, quiet, peaceful Tuesday morning for me. Or was it a Wednesday? No, it was certainly Saturday.

The wavy-haired man at the counter winked at me. I gave him a death glare. He laughed in an annoying French way.

A typical Thursday for me.

Anyway, I was _this_ close to solving thirteen across before I was interrupted.

"Hey, can I sit here? Everywhere else is full."

I looked up. A young man, scarcely older than me before I had been turned, was standing next to the seat across from me, carrying a laptop under his arm.

"Of course" I said skeptically. He didn't seem like the intellectual type. Or the tolerable type, for that matter. But I don't judge based on looks, so I gave him a chance.

Naturally, he blew it the second he opened his mouth.

"Thanks, man. You have no idea how much I need this coffee, the flight was delayed an hour and there aren't any decent burger joints around here!"

I studied him for a moment. His hair was a caramel-blond color, with an interesting little cowlick that curled up above his forehead. It seemed that it just naturally fell into place without a single effort. His eyes were bright and mischievous, a shade bluer than the sky. He wore glasses, which didn't do much for looking intelligent. He wore an old bomber jacket over a t-shirt and scruffy jeans.

"First of all, if you're going to talk to me at all, please address me as 'Arthur'. Secondly, there are so many other foods you could be eating, rather than that American trash. Ever heard of 'expanding your palette'?"

"Dude, I barely understood any of that. And it's not trash! It's better than anything here, for sure." he was getting a bit annoying.

"Words are wasted on the idiots, I suppose. Since you've obviously no interest in culture and other countries, why are you here anyway?"

"Many reasons, actually. My brother likes traveling, so he drags me along with him because he doesn't like to go anywhere on his own. Also, I have a hunch that there may be something... supernatural lurking in London."

I almost laughed. Heck with it, I _did_ laugh. What did this kid know? Nothing! He was obviously one of those people who believed everything they were told, and stubbornly believed it until the very end, even if they were proven wrong.

"What makes you think that?" I asked.

"You may not believe me, but there's always been something _different_ about this place, in the supernatural sense. I got my proof yesterday, when the wife of a duke was found dead, drained of blood, in her bed. I'm thinking vampire, although I'd have to get a good look at the corpse to be sure."

He was cracking me up. "You think anyone but a few crackpots are going believe you? We don't burn witches anymore, lad. It's quite possible the body was a hoax, set up by ever weirder lots than you."

"Shun the non-believer! Shuuun! Hey, I believe in vampires. So what? I'm still a hero~"

"Is that what you Americans call yourselves nowadays?"

"I don't know about anyone else, but yeah, our country _is_ pretty damn heroic!"

I facepalmed. I had all but forgotten why I disliked Americans until I met this man. What an idiot. I mean, we were sitting in front of a window, so he could've seen easily that I wasn't reflected on the surface, but when he actually _did_ look, it was to fix his hair, and he took no notice of my -lack of- reflection.

"Anyway, my name is Alfred F. Jones, hero and self-proclaimed supernatural investigator, like Dib from Invader Zim, except cooler!"

"I'd like to say it's a pleasure to meet you, Alfred, but it isn't."

"Aw, you're no fun, Artie!"

"It's _Arthur_, you dimwit. Arthur Kirkland." I replied haughtily, not taking well to my new nickname.

He chatted through the rest of my tea-time, and I was forced to correct his atrocious grammar through most of it. He lived with his half-brother, Matthew, loved sci-fi and comic books and spent most of his time on the internet or with his friend, Tony.

As he droned mindlessly, I began to tune him out and think. My first thought was something along the lines of '_can't this guy take a hint?_' The rest of my thoughts were of ways I could get him to shut up. '_I have an idea...'_

"You know, now that you mention it, I _do _suspect that there may be some blood-sucking creature of the night in the country. I was just unwilling to believe it until I met someone else who did, so I'd know I wasn't crazy."

"Really?" he asked hopefully, looking like a puppy expecting a treat.

"Really. There are records of many things like that in the library, if you look right. And since vampires are immortal, you could go back as far as the days before indoor plumbing and find your guy." I was hoping he'd leave to find out about that so I could finish my tea in peace.

He stood up. "Thanks, Artie! Ya know, I kinda had you pegged as a grumpy, bitter ol' man, but you're actually kind of cool!"

I didn't know what to say. I was insulted that he had thought I was old(several centuries so, in case you were wondering), but he said everything in such an enthusiastic, innocent way that it was hard not to be enthused. Next thing I knew, he was dragging me by the arm to the nearest library. I made some really smart-sounding sounds of struggle, but he was inhumanly strong and ever so persistent.

Since he was the kind of guy who couldn't see the city for all the buildings, I figured it couldn't hurt to toss him a bone and pretend to help him research vampires. He spent most of his time on the computer, or finding Wally, while I spent my time trying to find a book about vampires that wasn't in the "teen paranormal romance" section.

When I was sure he was immersed in the _I Spy_ book he was studying, I stared at him for a bit, trying to fathom what had happened to him in his childhood to cause such idiocy. He was so unobservant, I was pretty sure I could sink my teeth into his neck and he wouldn't suspect a thing. As that popped into my mind, I briefly wondered what his blood might taste like. _Probably grease, salt, barbecue sauce and catchup..._


	2. Werewolves, too

**A/N Howdy! This chapter is from Canada's perspective! It's also one of the longer chapters of the first half of the story. **

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My first night in London might have been my last. Spooky, right? It was the first time ever that I was glad that I'm practically invisible. Alfred had dropped into a cafe for a quick snack and forgot about me entirely, so I spent the rest of the day in quiet tourism. Unfortunately, I got lost, and I was wandering around the city until midnight, trying to will Alfred to pick up his cell phone.

I had Kuma... whatever his name is with me, but he wasn't much comfort. Eventually, when I was too desperate to wander aimlessly anymore, yet not desperate enough to ask anybody, I ended up following a small yellow bird that seemed to know what it was doing.

The moon was full, the sky was clear and the air was chill. The sort of thing that would be in one of those horror movies Alfred would freak out over. All of a sudden, the bird flew away, taking with it my only sense of purpose in wandering.

I sighed, most of the shops and stuff were closed and only a few people were out, and none of them seemed to notice me. I leaned against a wall, attempting to call Alfred again. All I got was his voice mail system.

"_Yo dude! The hero is busy performing heroic duties at the moment, and he can't get to the phone! Leave a message!"_

Cursing Alfred, I sank to the ground, hugging my bear and praying that I'd be all right. I sat like that for a few minutes, before something changed.

The air grew heavy. I could feel the hair rising on the back of my neck. A chill ran up my spine, and I shuddered, suddenly terrified beyond my wildest dreams. I didn't know what was causing it, but I did know it was something to be feared. I tried to stand up, but my legs locked and I couldn't move. It was like one of Alfred's nightmares after a horror movie marathon.

Everything was still, my breath had caught in my throat and formed an uncomfortable lump. The street light a few feet away flickered, then went out, and the wind had stopped.

First, I noticed the smell. A disgusting metallic stench that withered and rotted. I recognized it, and it scared me, for it was the smell of blood.

Then I heard the footsteps. Steady, even footsteps swiftly heading my way. Boots clacking on the pavement. Listening harder, for that was all I could do, I picked up the sound of breathing. Not that heavy type that you sometimes hear on the other end of the phone before they hang up, but regular breathing, and that was somehow scarier than heavy breathing.

Somehow, I felt the eyes pierce me for a moment. I couldn't even see them, I couldn't even see the person they belonged to, but I could feel someone looking in my direction. After a moment, the intense gaze swept away and I felt a small wave of relief.

Oh, how I wished I could just get up and run away, but something told me that whatever was the source of my discomfort was much faster than I was, and could easily catch me. My best bet was to stay quiet and hope that whatever it was didn't notice me.

The footsteps continued, getting closer and closer, until I could see the person causing them. He was cloaked in shadow, but definitely male. He held himself regally, wearing an aura of glamor and divinity. The smell of blood grew worse, and I nearly gagged.

He kept going. He was almost past me when...

"Who are you?"

I slapped a hand over the polar bear's mouth, but it was too late. The figure swirled, turning to me, and I felt that stare again. That hungry, greedy stare.

He lunged, and I wanted to scream, but I just couldn't. I'm sure I looked very pathetic, mouth agape, sitting on my knees and clutching a polar bear.

As the figure dove at me, I sent one last curse Alfred's way, then closed my eyes, preparing for the worst.

The worst never happened.

People say this sort of thing happens in slow-motion, and you catch every detail. They're wrong. All I caught was a sudden flash of white, tackling the cloaked man to the ground. Naturally, I was very stunned, but I suddenly was able to move again and I stood up, trying to make sense of what was happening and whether or not I ought to run.

It appeared that my attacker's attacker was a large white canine of sorts. It was sort of hard to see it while it was battling my assailant. I only briefly considered the possibility of it attacking me once it was done with the mystery man. Then I remembered that staying alive would be nice, so I ran.

It's not easy running while carrying a polar bear, even a small one, but the fear propelled me, so by the time I stopped to catch my breath, I was in a place I recognized.

Right in front of my hotel.

Panting, I sat by the fountain out front, lying down on the perfectly-trimmed grass and trying to calm my racing heart. It was then when I decided that the man who had tried to attack me was a vampire. It was the smell of blood he had on him that convinced me. But... he had also smelled of something else. Like... bread and wine.

I began to wonder whether or not to tell Alfred about it. On one hand, the supernatural was the whole reason he had dragged me along, but on the other hand, he would probably freak out. I really didn't want him hanging garlic everywhere _again_.

"Keseseses~ You're one lucky birdie! If I wasn't around, you'd be dead by now!" a man, probably German, gloated. What surprised me was that it sounded like he was right next to me, and I hadn't even heard him come up. I was still very jumpy from my earlier experience, so I hopped to my feet, ready to run.

"Don't worry, the awesome me won't hurt you!" he said. I stared at him, trying to decide if he was lying. His hair was a silvery-white color, which was strange. His eyes were red, which was even stranger, and he had this deadly-looking smirk on his mouth, which was scary. I didn't run, however, because of two things. One, he was baring his teeth, which were all normal, and two, the little yellow bird from before was sitting on his head. If a fragile little bird felt safe in his presence, then I was certain that he wasn't _too_ much of a threat.

"Y-y-you mean... _You_ were... You saved me?" I asked as I slowly sat down again.

"Ja! If you're wondering how you could ever repay me, I have a list somewhere..." it was then that I decided that his voice was almost as annoying as Alfred's, and his ego was even bigger.

"But... you're human, right? Was that your dog?"

"Oh birdie, you _must_ be smarter than that. Surely you figured that guy who attacked you is a vampire?"

"Well, yes..."

"And the sworn enemies of vampires are...?"

After a short moment, I got it. "You're a werewolf." I said. He clapped sincerely, disturbing the bird on his head so that it fluttered madly for a second before regaining its balance.

"Right! Me and mein bruder are werewolves."

He grinned at me while I stared some more. It hit me that he was waiting for some sort of reaction.

"Oh. That's nice."

His smile slowly melted away.

"That's it? You're not scared? You're not gonna try to run? You're not even going to gasp? You're going to just sit there and say that it's _nice_?" he asked in disbelief. I was beginning to wonder why he was still talking to me. By that point in the conversation, I was usually long forgotten.

"I'm sorry if it's not nice, but it's just not very shocking after I almost got my blood drained by a demonic creature of the night."

He looked a bit apologetic. "It's alright. I'm just used to big reactions. Heh, you make vampires seem a lot more awesome than they really are."

"Really now?"

"Yeah. Vampires are pretty lame. Too many weaknesses. While us werewolves only have one, they have dozens."

"Silver bullet, right?"

He looked aghast. "How did you know?"

"Lucky guess."

He laughed in that annoying way again. "You're all right, birdie. You know, when Gilbird here was flitting around with you, I had my doubts, but you're actually sort of awesome! Not as awesome as I am, of course, but pretty awesome."

"I'm flattered." he seemed less and less terrifying by the second.

"Who are you?" Kumakichi- No, Kumajiro asked.

He grinned again. I was worried that he was going to start singing. Lucky for me, he apparently had a signature introduction.

"The _awesome_ Gilbert Beilschmidt, at your service!" he said with a sort of bow, which was funny because he was sitting, so his nose almost touched the ground.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Matthew Williams, and this is Kuma... Jiro, I think?"

The bear nodded.

"Awesome." I had never been so sick of that word before.

"Well, Mr. Beilschmidt-"

"Mr. Beilschmidt is my father. Just call me Gil!" he said, cutting me off.

"Alright, 'Gil'. Since you _did_ just save my life, I suppose I ought to invite you in at the very least, but my brother should be back by now and he's sort of..."

"Obnoxious?" Gilbert supplied.

"Yeah. He also isn't a big fan of werewolves. The only reason he's here is because he suspects that a vampire might reside in this city, and he wants to get rid of it."

"Well, I'm not complaining. If he actually finds a way to get rid of that guy, I'm sure we'll get along just fine." I sighed, shaking my head. This guy obviously didn't know Alfred F Jones at all. My older brother was the protective, kill-the-monsters-and-save-the-damsel sort. And I'm pretty sure werewolves counted as monsters in his book.

"Just to be safe, I don't think you should meet him just yet." I said. The bird, who was apparently named "Gilbird", jumped from its owner's head and landed on my knee. Carefully, I stroked its feathers, and it gave Kumajiro a friendly peck on the nose.

"Fine. I think I like you much more, anyway." I blushed a bit at that. I really wasn't used to compliments, or someone talking to me at all, for that matter. "I guess you should go, then. He's probably worried about you." Gilbert continued, looking a bit downcast.

"I doubt he even remembers that he _has_ a brother." I grumbled. Gilbert looked confused.

"Why not? Does he have short-term memory loss?" he asked in a concerned tone.

"No. At least, I don't think so. People usually forget about me. I'm used to it." I said, although I wished it weren't true.

"That's so not awesome. I can't imagine forgetting about _mein_ little bruder. That would be awful! He wouldn't be able to look up to me and my awesomeness!"

"That would be dreadful."

"I know, right?" he smirked, not getting the sarcasm. "Well, Mattie. I promise that you won't be forgotten by the awesome me!" he continued, sounding truly sincere. I doubted that it would last. He would probably forget all about me by the very next day. When he noticed that I didn't look very convinced, he offered me his pinky. "Pinky promise, alright? And if I DO forget, which isn't very likely, you can hit me on the head with something large and heavy, deal?" I had to admit, he was pretty amusing. Chuckling, I accepted the promise.

"Hey, do you want to hang out with me and a couple of my friends tomorrow? They're really nice, and nearly as awesome as I am!"

I thought about it. On one hand, I wasn't sure I trusted him enough, and who knew who his friends were? On the other hand, he saved my life and I felt I owed him something. And he did seem very nice, aside from his general cockiness.

"Sure. Where and when?"

"Lunch. You know that park a few blocks from here?" I nodded. "I'll bring some awesome wurst and stuff, and we can have a totally bad ass picnic!"

The park seemed nice and public, so I agreed on the condition that I'd get to bring pancakes and maple syrup. He laughed at that, and said "Wow, you really _are_ Canadian!"

We said our goodbyes, and I returned to the room that Alfred and I were sharing. I found him watching TV on the couch, eating a bag of mini pretzels and drinking what looked like a frozen lemonade. Of course, he didn't notice me, not even when when I stole the pretzel bag and took a sip of his beverage.

"Miss me?" I asked during a commercial break. Alfred did a very comical jump and turned to look at me, as if he were seeing me for the first time.

"Mattie? Don't do that! You scared the living daylights out of me!" he exclaimed, snatching the bag of pretzels from my hands.

"Maybe if you'd _notice_ I was gone, and perhaps picked up your phone one of the fourteen times I tried to call it, I'd be a bit easier on you."

He didn't seem to hear me, his attention turned back to the television. "That's nice, Mattie. Anyway, I met a vampire today!"


	3. Who you gonna call?

**A/N Alright, this chapter is much shorter than the other two, but what can I say? When I write for Alfred, there's not much to write.**

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I expected a slightly different reaction out of Matthew. You know, something like "Wow, Alfred! How heroic!" but all he did was stare at me for a moment, clutching that bear of his.

"Oh," he said after a moment, "funny, I was almost killed by one." he continued, taking a pretzel out of the bag and giving it to his bear. I did a (very heroic) spit take, spewing the lemony beverage over the floor.

"Alfred! You're going to have to clean that up, you know." I ignored him, trying to process what he had said moments before. Surely it wasn't Artie...?

"Y-you were almost killed by a vampire?" I repeated.

"That's what I said."

My amazing brotherly instinct kicked in. "Ohmygawd, Mattie! Are you alright?"

He checked his pulse. "Hmm... not dead yet. I suppose I'm fine."

"Was he about this tall" I held my hand up to what I presumed was Arthur's height "with really thick eyebrows?" I asked desperately. I really didn't want it to be Artie.

"No. He was taller than me, and I couldn't see his face very clearly. Did your guy smell like wine and baguettes?" he asked, seeming way to calm for an almost-victim.

"No, he smelled like tea and scones." I said with relief. "He's pretty cool, actually. He's sort of a bitter ol' guy, but he can find Waldo in ten seconds flat! Although he calls him _Wally_..."

"So I take it you _don't_ want to kill him?" Mattie asked.

"Nope! As it turns out, I'd rather be friends with him." I said, as earnestly as possible.

"I see. So does that mean you've giving up on this whole monster-slaying thing?" Matthew asked hopefully.

I laughed. "No way, Jose! I still hafta kill that dude who attacked you! Do you really think I'm letting anyone who tried to hurt my little bro get off easy? Need I remind you who the hero is? I don't want anyone else hurt."

"Except for the vampire.'

"Yup!"

Matthew shook his head. "Your reasoning confuses me, Alfred." he sighed, leaning back on the pillows.

"Thanks."

"It's not a compli- never mind. Tell me about the vampire _you_ met."

At last, something I was _dying_ to talk about. "His name's Arthur Kirkland, and he's, like, _really_ British! He drinks weak tea, and he calls me things like 'git' and stuff, and his accent is really cool! He doesn't know that I know that he's a vampire, but he really doesn't do much to hide the fact; It's like he thinks I'm stupid or something! I only noticed when I went to fix my hair in the window, and saw that he didn't have a reflection! It took all of my heroic restraint not to freak out and heroically beat him up." I said all of that in one breath, like the hero I am, so gasped and began panting, trying to regulate my breathing.

Matthew looked at me for a minute before replying. "Oh. He sounds nice."

"That's all? Really? Whatever. The show's back on and I don't want to miss a thing!" I said, turning up the volume and focusing on the TV.

Later that night, or early the next morning, I went to bed with a bag of Doritos, pondering how different vampires could be. I woke up around noon, and went to ask Mattie to make me some pancakes. Strange thing was, I couldn't find him. Well, it wasn't _that_ strange.

"Mattie? I'm huuungry..." I whined(heroically).

I found a note on the table, scribbled on one of those notepads they leave on the nightstand which you never use.

"_Alfred-_

_Going to lunch with friends. If you're hungry, there's a pizzeria a few doors down._

_-Matthew"_

"Pizza it is, then." I said to no one, putting on my jacket and heading out.


	4. The Golden Touch

**A/N So after this chapter, I won't be updating until I've finished writing down the latest chapter. (I'm actually almost done with this fanfic, I just have yet to post most of it)**

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"Mattie, these are my friends, Francis Bonnefoy and Antonio Fernandez Carriedo. Guys, this is that kid I was telling you about, Matthew Williams. He's real nice~" I announced in a most awesome manner, gesturing dramatically.

Antonio leaned forward to shake Mattie's hand. "Hola, amigo! Gilbert was telling us all about you!" Mattie smiled and returned the handshake. Honestly, he was so cute I had to psychically restrain myself from tackle hugging him!

Francis, of course, had to take his hand and kiss it. "Mon cherie, it is a pleasure to meet you" he said with a wink. Matthew looked a bit unnerved, but he smiled and said hello, anyway. I glowered at Francis, silently willing him to back off. I wanted Mattie all to myself.

"It's nice to meet you, too. Both of you." Mattie said, then he turned to me and whispered "do they know you're a...?"

"A werewolf? Yeah. In fact, Toni here's cursed, too! Show him, Toni!" I said, loud enough for them all to hear my awesome voice but not so loud that anyone else could.

The Spaniard, sticking his tongue at me, pulled the specially-made glove off his left hand, and picked up a leaf with the right.

"Watch this" he said, touching the leaf with his newly un-gloved hand. It was like he dipped the leaf into an invisible paint bucket, for just before our eyes, the leaf turned from autumn brown to shiny gold.

"It's real, too." he took the leaf in his right hand and handed it to Mattie, who took it with caution. His eyes widened when he felt how heavy it was.

"Wow. And for some reason, all I can think of is all the poor women you might have been with before you discovered this." after a moment of shock, I laughed. _It's always the quiet ones..._ I thought.

Antonio looked confused. "I don't get it...? But anyway, I'm careful with it. I suppose you're wondering how I came to be cursed with the Midas touch...?"

Mattie nodded. Antonio grinned and began his story.

"A long time ago, I knew this Romanian guy. He was pretty nice, and I always gave him a few of my home-grown tomatoes, since I always have plenty. I didn't know him very well, but we were on pretty good terms. Anyway, there was this Hungarian girl he liked a lot, but they argued a lot and she didn't seem to notice.. As it turned out, she liked this Aristocrat from Austria. I sort of accidentally blabbed about it to Vlad, who understandably got a little upset.

"Vlad was a pretty decent guy, so he tried to let it go. Bu~ut amor is pretty hard to forget. He challenged the Austrian man, who just _happened_ to be a powerful spider demon. Vlad got blasted, and I tried to step in and make peace, but got cursed."

"Really?" Matthew asked "It must have been difficult at first."

"You have no idea. Do you know how much a solid gold tomato weighs? Luckily, I got this adamant glove, so I don't turn my food into precious metal."

"Of course" Francis added "It makes it very hard to-"

"Bruder!" I turned. It was Ludwig dragging those adorable Italian brothers behind him. Feli was laughing and trying to chase butterflies. Lovino was grumbling and sulking. Both were looking very helpless.

"Hey Luddy! This is Matthew, that guy I was telling you about! Mattie, this is my less-than-awesome brother, Ludwig."

Matthew nodded and said hello, but my brother had bigger things on his mind. "Nice to meet you. Gilbert, I normally wouldn't ask this of you, but do you think you could entertain these two for a while? I'm very busy and frankly, I've had enough of them."

"Oh bruder" I laughed "You're so mean! How could you ever get tired of Feli? And why don't you dump him on Kiku instead?"

"That would be impolite, especially after what happened last time."

"I don't remember that..." I said honestly.

"Of course you don't. And I really don't trust you and your... compatriots, but I have nowhere else to turn and you _do_ owe me several favors..."

"Alright, alright! I'll take them." I grumbled. "I'll feed them, too, although Lovino won't eat my awesome wurst, for some reason..." Ludwig sighed in a mixture of exasperation and relief.

"Danke" he said before rushing off, not wanting to spend another moment with the sweet Italians. I supposed it was my humble duty to introduce them to my new friend.

Lovino was sitting underneath the tree next to the wall the rest of us were on. He looked grumpier than normal, so I decided to leave him alone. Feliciano, on the other hand, looked as cheerful as ever, so I started with him.

"Feliciano, this is my new friend Matthew Williams, he's nearly as awesome as I am" I said, gesturing to Mattie. Feliciano reacted in the typical Italian way, kissing both cheeks and being enthusiastic.

"Ciao! I'm Feliciano Vargas! And that's my brother Lovino sulking over there!" he said, making Mattie laugh.

"Nice to meet you, Feliciano."

"Ve~ Call me Feli!"

While they were talking, I noticed Antonio slide off the wall and head towards Lovino.


	5. Obligatory Irrevelant Spamano

**A/N So I merged two chapters, because they were both rather short. Tomorrow(Halloween) I'll post a poem I wrote for this ^.^**

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"Stupid potato bastard doesn't have the right to drag me out here! I don't care what my brother says, I hate potato bastard number two and his gang of perverts!" I muttered, pulling out my sketchbook. When I got stressed, I drew. Not like it helped much, but it was nice. Of course, I could never compare to my goody-two-shoes fratello when it came to many things, but I pushed that out of my head and began to draw.

I drew a big fat cat sitting out in the rain with a grumpy expression on its face. It looked like it was waiting for a bus. I drew a wart-covered toad next to the cat. The picture was dark and gloomy, expressing my mood perfectly.

"That's a cute kitty, Lovi~"

I didn't bother looking up, I knew exactly who had said that, and he was _not_ welcome. "Go away, tomato bastard."

He crouched next to me. "Lovi, I don't understand why you call me that! You like tomatoes just as much as I do!"

"Whatever. The point is, I hate you. Would you just leave me the fuck alone already? Your problem is that you can't take a goddamned hint!" I snapped at him, slamming my sketch book closed and crossing my arms. Antonio didn't listen. Instead, he sat down next to me and asked me to show him my drawings.

"Fuck no! Can't a guy get a little privacy?" I said. He gave me his signature puppy dog look, which I fought to resist.

"Why not?"

"Two reasons that I'm sure will go over your stupid head. One, you've seen my brother's drawings, which will make my drawings look like shit in comparison and two, I hate you!" I didn't lie, I omitted. Aside from those other two facts, I didn't want him to see my drawings because I had a tendency to sketch out whatever I dreamed at night, and my dreams were different from most people's. So different, in fact, that they'd probably make you want to take me to a therapist. My dreams made up a continuous story line, more like memories than dreams. In them, me and Feli had wings. That was the only detail I was ever sure of, since they went by so quickly.

The sketchbook was loaded with drawings of things I didn't quite recognize, creatures that I felt I ought to have remembered, faces of people I had never met in real life. It was like a whole other world for me. I wanted to keep it for myself. But in each dream, something always bugged me. Because in the dream world, I couldn't find Antonio,

He sighed. "Lovi, stop comparing yourself to your hermano like that. You're both amazing in different ways. Also, I know you don't hate me~"

"How can you be so sure?" I demanded, deciding to ignore the first part of what he said. The funny thing was, I wasn't quite so sure that I hated him as much as I said I did. Not that I'd admit it, of course.

"You try to act all tough, but I know you really care~ Every time you're hurt, or you get scared, you come to me. I can see it in your eyes. You have a heart, Lovi." he explained, patting my back.

I moved away from his comforting touch, glaring daggers at him. He just laughed stupidly, gazing at me with those too-damn-intense eyes of his. Huffing, I stood up to go yell at whoever was talking to my brother.

* * *

As I watched Lovi walk away, I sighed. I wished he'd just realize that I never lied when I told him how amazing he was. Like always, I didn't understand _why_ I needed him to see how much I needed him, I just needed him to. But he still stubbornly believed that people, more specifically, _I_, just wanted his inheritance. Despite how many times that I told him that money didn't matter to me anymore, he simply refused to believe that I actually enjoyed his presence. He obviously knew that acting like he did(swearing, yelling, insulting etc.) was wrong and could hurt feelings, but he couldn't really control it. Which is why he was constantly so angry, at himself as well as others.

I attempted to lie down in the cool shade, but my head hit something hard and rectangular. It felt sort of like a book...

"Ah, Lovi's sketchbook? He forgot it!" I exclaimed, sitting up and picking up the device that should never be used as a pillow. _I should give it back to him, since he's only a short distance away. But... _I flipped open the cover, before immediately closing it again. _No. It's rude to pry and I don't want to make him any angrier. Still, it's just a sketchbook, not like a private diary stolen from his room..._

Turning the pages, I examined his art book. It was, as the name suggested, full of sketches and random doodles. Practice textures and poses. Some animals and stuff I recognized, and other looked like he had made them up on the spot. It was all very intriguing, especially the finished pictures. One that caught my eye was a highly detailed drawing of Howl's Moving Castle, each little piece of metal and everything that made up the walking house fit together perfectly. I noticed how he used tomatoes to practice shading, and how neat the tree branches looked in a forest scene. He hadn't drawn many people, except for a few sketches of winged figures in a hazy, clouded place.

"Angels" I said as I recognized their form. And angels they were. Not the happy, harp-playing kind you see on greeting cards, but the totally bad-ass, shiny-sword-wielding, knives-for-feathers kind. Of course, it was sort of hard to see all the awesome, since they were very hazy-looking, as if Lovino had seen them for a brief moment in a dream. Speaking of Lovi, one of them had a curl very much like his own...

"If you don't mind, I'd like you to go and die right now" a voice snarled near my ear, catching me off guard and very much terrified. I jumped a couple inches in the air and whipped my neck around. Unfortunately, I was no prepared to follow my head with my body, and I sort of fell over in a very uncomfortable position.

"Aah! Lovi! Y-y-you... You startled me!" I gushed, slapping his book shut and tossing it back where I had found it, despite how futile it seemed. I wasn't really thinking, seeing how he was looking at me. It was not the kind of glance you'd want turned your way. It was the kind of stare that would make Medusa stop short in her tracks. He was very angry. Not his usual brand of angry, mind you, this angry was _serious_ and it scared me.

"What do you think you were doing here?" he demanded in a smooth tone which was as dangerous as his stare.

"Uh... Admiring your art? You're very skilled, Lovi!"

"Don't lie to me. Didn't your mother teach you that it's rude to snoop?"

"I wasn't lying! I just wanted to see your drawings! I'm sorry, I shouldn't have looked, I was just curious! Lo siento!" I apologized profusely. After a moment of his death stare, he sighed and sat down.

"Ugh. It's no big deal, you idiot. I just overreacted. I should have expected you'd do this, you're not known for considering the consequences." I was surprised by his sudden change in tone. All of a sudden he sounded so... defeated.

"Um, it's fine. You just scared me a bit. I'm sorry I invaded your privacy like that, it's just that most people don't treat their sketchbooks like a diary."

He looked a bit embarrassed. "God, if you tell anyone about this I'll- I mean, er..."

"It's OK, Lovino. I can keep a secret." I assured him, patting him on the back and giving a gentle smile. He looked at me in a tired sort of manner.

"Thank you." he said, resting his head on his arms which were folded over his knees.

"Oh, and for the record, I think your art is just as good, if not better than, your brother's." and you know what he did after I told him that? He smiled at me, that's what! Just a quick, crooked smile that looked a bit out-of-practice, but it was adorable.

"You're so cute, Lovi!" I squee'd, hugging him. He resisted a bit, but I could tell he really didn't mind much.

"And you're a total idiota." he said in an attempted grumpy tone.

"But I'm _your_ idiota~" I replied.


	6. Mirror, Mirror

**Happy Halloween! Here's a poem I wrote that may or may not match the ending of this fic ^.^**

* * *

Mirror, mirror, on the wall,  
A stake through the heart  
Will be his downfall.  
Though thicker than water blood may be,  
What does that mean,  
With a creature such as he?

Mirror, mirror, ashes and smoke,  
Drawn in by the lies he spoke,  
Let myself be drawn awry  
And then I knew, I was to die.  
Alas, he would have none of that.

Mirror, mirror, black and burned,  
Twas the day that I was turned.  
The sun burned red,  
My skin drained white,  
A throbbing beat within my head,  
Never again to see the light.

Mirror, mirror, broken and cracked,  
I sincerely felt I lacked  
A reason to go on  
Now here I stand  
Prepared to go beyond  
It's early morning,  
And soon they'll be mourning  
Me.

Mirror, mirror, in pieces three,  
What do I see  
Within that devilish grin?  
Blood-lust and what I desired,  
Him, that unforgivable sin.


	7. Can You Do the Fandango?

**A/N another chapter merge! Mainly because these chapters really aren't as good as the others...**

* * *

"Dammit" I muttered, my eyes starting to water. I was re-reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and had just reached the part where a certain house elf died. My fifth time reading the book, and I still couldn't get over that. "It's too sad..." I said, putting a bookmark between the pages and closing it respectfully. I was sitting on a bench near a local pizzeria, giving myself a well-deserved rest. That didn't last long, however, because just after I shut the book, a certain American sat down right next to me, holding a giant slice of pizza.

"Hey Artie! What are you doing here?" he asked jovially, taking a sip from a large bottle of soda. I sighed, knowing I wouldn't be able to rest with _him_ around.

"Oh, just hunting velociraptors and growing a marshmallow bush. What do you think I'm doing, you idiot? I'm trying to get some reading done, and you're no help."

He laughed. "Whatever, man." he said, sitting down next to me and taking a bite of that large-beyond-comprehension pizza slice. Despite how cloudy it was, his smile seemed brighter than the sun and his eyes could take the place of the sky any day. I couldn't help noticing how handsome he was, and made a mental note to keep him to myself.

You know, hundreds upon hundreds of years of immortality can get pretty boring, and I had heard tales of vampires seducing humans for a little fun. It never lasted, of course, but every vampire seemed to do it. The idea had seemed despicable to me at first, but the prospect seemed more and more appealing after meeting that blasted American.

"Uh dude, you all right? You've been staring at me for, like, a minute..." Alfred said, not looking uncomfortable in the slightest. In fact, he was still smiling that same bright smile, which was getting a bit annoying. Only a bit.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I tend to zone out when I'm around stupid people." I said, not letting his dazzling grin knock me off track. He either chose to ignore the insult, or didn't get it, because he simply finished off his pizza in three bites and began drinking down the rest of the soda. I wondered how he wasn't the size of a blimp already.

"Funny how we seem to keep running in to each other..." Alfred noted, tossing the grease-covered napkin and the soda bottle into a nearby bin. "Anyway, my brother came home last night with some interesting news..."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Apparently, he was almost attacked while he was walking back to our hotel..." He continued, sounding way too calm for something like that.

"Oh, how awful! Is he alright?" I asked, much more concerned than Alfred seemed to be.

"Yeah, he's fine. But the funny thing is... Mattie described the dude who attacked him as a vampire."

* * *

I watched Arthur for his reaction. I knew he wasn't Mister Uses-blood-wine-and-bread-for-cologne, but I wanted to see what he would do. His eyes widened for a second, gaping at me in disbelief. I had obviously caught him off guard, like the hero I am, and he was struggling for a response.

"A... vampire? Are you sure he wasn't mistaken?" he asked, looking a little worried.

"Positive. Mattie doesn't lie. If you want, I could bring him over and have him tell you his story." I said, still in an upbeat tone.

"That won't be necessary" he replied in a hurried voice. "I just found it a bit odd that the same day your brother is nearly drained of his blood is the day I meet a vampire hunter."

I nodded. It wasn't like I was trying to get any info out of him, and he looked pretty nervous, so I dropped the subject. After all, I didn't want to lose him as a friend, and it didn't seem like it would be easy to please him. We sat in silence for a minute, while I watched two pigeons fighting over a cookie.

If the mood was awkward, I didn't notice. But after a moment, Arthur coughed uncomfortably, causing me to look up from my favorite fowl sport.

Some may call me unobservant, and I call them right. Because it was at just that moment when I noticed how _green_ the Brit's eyes were. Seriously, they looked like two sparkling emeralds embedded in his eyeballs. And that may sound gross to you, but that would just mean that you've never seen Arthur Kirkland before.

"Since it seems inevitable that we'll just bump into each other again, why don't we meet up sometime?" he asked. "We could do some more research on vampires, and maybe even find the bloke who attacked your bother."

I tried to figure out what "inevitable" meant. Probably something along the lines of "hopeful" or whatever. But the idea sounded fun, so I agreed. "Sure, bro! When and where? You know your way around better than I do."

"My house. I'm sure wherever your staying is a huge mess, and I'd really rather not see that. I think... Around noon tomorrow? We could meet at that cafe, my place isn't far."

"Sounds good to me!" I replied enthusiastically. We said our "goodbyes" and our "see you later"s and went our separate ways. That left me with the bench all to myself, so I stretched out and prepared to venture from the shallow end of the thinking pool. _Man, he's so British... Wasn't that Harry Potter he was reading? I guess even the vampires prefer that. I wonder why he wants to meet up with me? He doesn't seem to like me... It's a shame, he's kind of-_

I was cut off from my thoughts when I noticed Mattie sitting next to me. How long he'd been sitting there, I didn't know. He was talking to some strange albino dude, smiling up at him as if _he_ was the hero. Not me, him. And Mattie didn't even bother introducing us? I think he said some sort of greeting to me, but that was it. I stood up (heroically) and coughed in a mighty manner. They looked at me.

"Hey Matthew, shouldn't you introduce me to your new friend?" I said cheerily, but Mattie knew that when I dropped his nickname, he and I were due for a talk.

"Alfred? You noticed me without me talking directly to you? That's new." he said without eve sparing me a glance, still smiling at that albino. "This is my new friend, Gilbert. _He_ doesn't forget about me."

A part of me still thinks Mattie may have been a bit bitter.

"I prefer to introduce myself as the _awesome_ Gilbert Beilschmidt, Birdie." the albino said in a German accent. I hoped he didn't think he could surpass the hero...

"Uh-huh. Gilbert, this is my brother, Alfred F. Jones, hero, supernatural hunter and bottomless pit." my bro continued, gesturing towards me.

"Yo! Any friend of... What's-his-name is a friend of mine! Most of what you need to know about me is that I'm the hero, and everything I do is heroic."

"Cool. Most of what _I_ do is be generally awesome all the time. I'm pretty awesome at it. One night, I forgot to turn my awesomeness off, and I woke up covered in chicks."

"He means those birds," Mattie added, "usually it's just the one, but sometimes they flock around him."

I ignored him, and continued my awesomely heroic conversation with Gilbert. It was so heroically awesome that I didn't even notice when Mattie got bored and wandered off. I think Gilbert and I sort of got into an argument about who was cooler, but it was settled when we both agreed that Rainbow Dash is the coolest. Even though I also like Applejack, none can beat RD in the cool department. We brohoofed, then he noticed Mattie's disappearance and went to find him, and I went back to our hotel room and pulled my journal out of my duffel bag.

"Let's see... Today's the seventeenth..." I muttered, grabbing a pen and scribbling the date in the upper corner of the most recent blank page. A few months before, I had decided that I needed to keep a record of my heroic doings, so I bought a journal to write whatever bible-worthy quotes I think up down in.

**Apr. 17**

**Weather: Rainy, as always.**

**Mood: Hungry again.**

**Today Mattie introduced me to some friend of his, Gilbert Beilschmidt, and we totally hit it off. Like, we should be superheroes or something. "By our powers combined, we are awesome!" Although if he tries anything with my little bro, I'll kill him so hard he'll die three times before he hits the ground. I also ran into Count BushyBrows again, and we're going to meet up at noon tomorrow. I don't know what it is about him, but even though we just met it's like... I don't even know. I feel like I'm a moth and he's one of those bug zappers. You know, I really just wanna be as close to him as possible, but it will probably kill me. He IS a vampire after all. I still haven't found the guy who tried to attack Mattie, but I suspect I'm getting warmer. Or it might just be the heater acting up again. Anyhoo, Artie's eyes are, like, really green. They're probably worth a fortune... They're like precious gems you could stare at all day and oh my god I'm acting like a teenage girl, writing about some British guy in a dairy.**

**At least he doesn't sparkle!**

**Peace out~**

With that, I closed the journal and stowed it back in my bag. Still thinking about Arthur, I flopped onto the freshly-made hotel bed, removed my glasses and stared upwards. A bit of paint from the walls splashed up along the sides of the otherwise ivory ceiling.

Suddenly,(and heroically) I sat up. I had an idea. I pulled out my cell phone and called my little bro.

"Hey, Mattie?"

"_Alfred? What? You never call me!_"

"Whatever. Anyway, you know that white-haired guy you introduced me to today?"

"_Gilbert? What about him?_"

"Ask him if he knows anything about vampires."

"_... Why?_"

"I didn't notice it earlier, but he gave off a very... Supernatural-y vibe. Not that I don't trust him, but he might know something."

"_Err, OK..._"

I waited as he did as I asked.

"_He said a lot of things, but the general gist of it was mostly Twilight bashing._"

"Good guy. But tell him I mean REAL vampires."

"_OK, I just told him that. He says he knows the basics, like how to kill them and what their weaknesses are. Also their mortal enemies are werewolves. That's it._"

Disappointed, I told Mattie goodbye and hung up. I was hoping I could get some good info off that German. Hoping some music would cheer me up, I put my ear buds in and switched my iPod on. Music always helps. Bohemian Rhapsody came on, to my delight. As I sang along, I didn't notice that I had received a new text message. A text message from an unknown number, and a very odd message.

_Can't catch me ;)_


	8. Maple Wolf Don't Care

"Feliciano, do you mind if we talk about something other than pasta and Ludwig?" I asked as politely as I could manage. He was nice, but his choice of conversation topics got a bit repetitive after a while. Gilbert had ditched me with him because it was the night of the full moon, and he didn't want me to be around when he became a man-eating monster. I didn't get what the big fuss was, I rather liked wolves...

"Oh, I'm sorry!" he exclaimed, looking at me as if he just noticed that I was there. "We could talk about my fratello..."

"Pass."

"Or we could talk about you and Gilbert~" he said, smirking in a way I didn't think he knew how.

"What about me and Gilbert?" I asked, trying to keep my slight flush to a minimum. Feli was obviously more observant than he looked, or at least more observant than Gilbert. Had the Italian noticed the way I blushed whenever the albino put his arm around me? The way I beamed whenever he praised me?

"You like him, don't you?" Feliciano asked, hitting the nail on the head.

"Well, he _did_ sort of save my life..." I reasoned, having previously explained to Feli what had happened that night.

"No, I see the way you look at him~ It's OK, you can talk to me about it!" he assured me, patting Kumama on the head.

"I... well, I've only known him for a short while, but he's really nice and funny... and he never forgets about me or mistakes me for my brother!"

Feli looked at me funny. "Who are- Oh, ciao, Alfred!" he said, shaking my hand. I sighed, it was no use trying to get through to this guy.

"It's me, Matthew. You haven't even _met_ Alfred."

"Whoops! I'm sorry. What were we talking about, again?"

"Gilbert."

"Right! Anyway, I think he likes you, too. He's never this attached to anyone, and he usually ends up fighting with other guys!" Feli continued, as if his forgetfulness was, well, forgotten. I brightened up a bit at the thought that the "awesome" Gilbert Beilschmidt might like me.

"You think so?"

"Si!" he replied happily. What neither of us noticed was that it was growing dark. Not that it would have worried us, since we assumed that Gilbert was on the other side of the city, but we still didn't notice and therefore, we weren't prepared for what happened next.

The sun set quickly, and a cold fog set over the place. Feliciano looked a bit nervous, but I pressed on, eager to take a hot shower and eat dinner. The air was mysteriously still, and Feli was strangely quiet. He was still there, walking right next to me, but for once, he was silent. I enjoyed my moment of peace, until...

"Do you hear something, Matthew?"

My footsteps came to a halt and we both stood there listening. When no noise came I grabbed Feli's hand and urged him to keep walking. Then _I _heard a noise. Turning my head quickly, I caught the last glimpse of a pair of polished boots and an all-too-familiar black cloak ducking behind a corner.

Instantly a feeling of panic set in, and every hair on my neck stood. I felt like I'd been given and electric shock and all my senses shoved into overdrive. Feli whimpered, he didn't have to look to know what was following us. We were being hunted, and we needed a weapon, or some form of protection, fast. Instinctively I ducked into the nearest grocery store and told Feli he needed to go and buy some garlic, as much as he could carry. I needed to think…

Why the vampire was following me again, I had no idea. Maybe it was angry that Gilbert had helped me escape the first time. He would want revenge, on Gilbert too, but mostly me. He probably planned to follow me, with it being a full moon Gilbert couldn't protect me. Feli wasn't a part of this, but if he kept following me the vampire would get him too.

Feli came back with a large bagful of garlic. He carried the bulk of it and I shoved some bulbs in my pockets as we exited the store, taking care not to be seen. Even if Gilbert wasn't here, we could fight back now, I hoped…

But my hopes were short lived, as we cut through the back of the parking lot a cold wind blew and that sense of terror sank in again. I smelled blood and bread, I whipped my head around to look for any sign of the vampire. Feli screamed and we stopped short, staring in horror at the figure in front of us.

Grinning evilly, the creature approached us. Feli got down on his knees and did a little surrender thing, I grabbed a bulb of garlic from my pocket and held it out in front of me defensively. Honestly, I felt pretty ridiculous. But what else could I do?

The vampire chuckled at us and kept coming closer. I threw the garlic bulb at him with all my might, which, thanks to hockey, was pretty mighty. He recoiled, hissing, at the stuff. I chucked another one at him but he still kept advancing. Now I wished I was better at baseball, maybe if Alfred was here he could've pitched a bulb right into his face.

As the vampire kept coming at me I kept walking backwards. Suddenly my foot banged into Feli who was still cowering on the ground and sent me sprawling. The vampire smiled and tensed, like a cat would do when he's trapped his prey. I froze under his gaze. _That's it_, I thought, _we're toast_.

A growl behind the vampire made us all freeze. He turned and I saw a large white wolf, teeth barred, red eyes gleaming. There was also that scar, strange he never had it in human form.

It was Gilbert, but then I quickly noticed it wasn't. The wolf part was in control now, feral snarls coming from his throat. Ruby eyes flashed from me to the vampire, to me again, growling all the time. It hurt to think that he didn't recognize me.

Then Gilbert sprung at the cloaked vampire; the vampire met werewolf's spring head on with unnatural speed, meeting the charge with a kick to Gilbert's nose. The wolf was sent sprawling, but recovered his footing quickly. With swiftness of a lightning bolt, Gilbert sprung again, teeth barred and eyes mad. Then whole world felt like it was moving in slow motion as the vampire rolled under the beast's attack, and Gilbert struck. Sinking his teeth into my arm...

Biting my lip, I kicked him away. "Bad dog..." I muttered, wishing I had my hockey stick with me. Gilbert, ignoring me, turned back to the vampire. Feli, finally finding some sense, grabbed my uninjured arm and ran like heck, dragging me with him. Eventually, I managed to find my footing and join him, and we both ran until we stopped outside an apartment building, which was where Feli was staying.

It was then when he noticed my arm, and it was then when he freaked out.

"OhmygodyougotbitMatthewareyo uOKwehavetogetyouinsideandcl eanthewoundohmygodhowdoyoufe elhowmanyfingersamIholdingup ?"

"Easy, Feli. I'm fine." I said, grabbing his shoulders so he wouldn't hurt himself. He took three deep breaths, than grabbed my arm again and pulled me inside.

"Maybe if we hurry, we can prevent it!" he gushed, prepping hot water and bandages and lord knows what else.

"Prevent what?"

"You becoming a werewolf!" he exclaimed, as if shocked that I didn't get it. I shrugged.

"Honestly, I wouldn't really care. Your friend, Ludwig, can control his emotions as a wolf, right? I think it would be easy for me to do that..."

"Matthew! You're not thinking straight! Do you really want this? Think about Gilbert! It's _agony _for him!" he told me.

As he began binding the wound, I shrugged again. "Maybe I can help him... and if I'm immortal..."

Feli frowned. "You're just OK with this because you'll be able to spend forever with him, but there's always a downside."

"Ludwig told you that, didn't he."

He nodded.

"Feliciano, it doesn't even look like I have a choice anymore, so why bother reasoning with me?" I asked. "Besides, I think he told you that so you wouldn't want to become a werewolf yourself, since I doubt you have much self-control."

He fell silent, focusing his attention on my wound. I winced at times, but kept the pain to myself. I eventually began to wonder how I ought to explain the situation to Alfred, since he'd probably freak out about it even more than Feli did. Eventually, Ludwig knocked at the door and the Italian let him in. The blond man looked worried, especially when he saw my injury.

"Could someone please explain why my bruder is sitting under the kitchen table, crying his eyes out?"


	9. Heart-warming Goodness

**A/N If you thought the ending of the last chapter was a cliffhanger, then you should fear what I have planned for a later chapter. This cliffhanger led to fluff, the next one leads to something I'm unwilling to ever put down in words and the third is tragedy.**

**I'm hoping to write something special for Christmas, but I have tons of other stuff to do as well.**

**By the way, we are now more than halfway through this fanfic.**

As my fur melted away, and I was forced back upright, the realization of what I had just done didn't hit me like a brick, it snuck up on me and put its hands over my eyes, cooing "guess who!" And I felt worse and worse, because I had _bitten _Matthew.

I had doomed him to my fate.

Just because I let the big bad wolf take over.

And, like the _coward _that I am, I ran. I ran like hell until I reached the place where Ludwig and I were staying, and I sat under the table and I cried. Usually, I could never remember whatever shenanigans I got into as a wolf, but the memory of Mattie's shocked and hurt expression still rang clear in my mind. I had subjected him to the life of a werewolf, and there was no turning back. Instead of going to help and comfort him after I returned to my human form, I ran home like a little kid. The guilt was unbearable, and I was certain Matthew would never want to see me again. _This is your fault, Gilbert, _I thought, _you had to go and get attached to that kid. You never learned to control the wolf. You never listened to your brother. This is the least awesome thing you've ever done._

I didn't even try to stop the tears, I just hugged my knees to myself and sat there, wallowing in guilt and misery. Eventually, Ludwig left. G_uess he didn't want to be in the same room as me. I don't blame him..._

How I wished I could just disappear, but being immortal and all, I couldn't see that happening in the near future. Matthew might never forgive me. How could I live up to my ego if I couldn't control the wolf at the time it mattered most? How could I live with _myself _if I had bitten someone whom I held so dear?

Aaand... someone was knocking at the door. If it was Ludwig, he would have just let himself in, so I assumed it was some door-to-door salesperson or something.

"Go away." I said flatly.

"Well if that's how you're going to treat those who wish to comfort you, I'll leave." the person on the other side said, and I recognized his voice immediately. Of course, who else would it be but him? I wiped away the tears and took a deep, shaky breath. I would have to face him sooner or later, anyway.

"The door's unlocked." I said shakily. I listened as he closed the door behind him and began looking for me.

"Gil?" he asked softly.

"Here."

Mattie spotted me under the table, and was kneeling by my side in an instant. I looked up at him with a sad, sheepish half-smile on my face. Then I spotted his arm, where blood was soaking through the tightly-wound bandages. I could feel the hot tears running down my cheeks again, and I saw concern that I didn't deserve in his beautiful, blue-violet eyes.

"Oh god, Matthew, I'm so, so sorry." I said. He looked very surprised.

"Gil, what's gotten into you?" he asked, brushing my hair out of my face and tilting his head curiously. I looked at him like he was crazy.

"I _bit_ you! I turned you into a werewolf!" I said. "Aren't you the least bit distraught? Upset? Angry? Disappointed?"

He hit me on the head.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"You seem to have forgotten who you're dealing with." he said, reminding me of our pinky swear. "Gilbert, it's not your fault. You weren't under your own control. If you had done it as _you_, under total control, I wouldn't be here. If I harbored any negative emotion, I wouldn't be here. You should know me well enough to know that I don't blame you, and I really don't mind being a werewolf. Sure, Alfred's going to freak, but it doesn't matter what he thinks."

I blinked at him. "You're really OK with the fact that I've subjected you to a lifetime-more, actually- of turning into a savage beast every month, who could potentially harm people you hold dear if you don't learn to control yourself?"

"Yes. Especially if it means I can be with you, without you worrying yourself silly, whatever time of the month it is." he said.

"You actually _want _that?" I asked incredulously.

"Of _course_ I do!" he said insistently, wiping the tears from my cheeks. "I know we've only known each other for a short while, but I really do care an awful lot about you."

My pale cheeks flushed pink. "Really?"

He sighed, frustrated that I was just not getting it. He studied me for a moment, while I just sort of took in the sights. His gorgeous golden hair, his rosy complexion, his striking amethyst eyes, the soft curve of his lower lip... I blinked, trying not to think too much. He was still looking at me with an unfathomable expression, and I suddenly realized what a mess I was. My hair was ruffled from the previous events, my eyes were probably red and puffy from the crying, there were most likely tear tracks on my face and I'm certain I looked like a drowned puppy, which is a very un-awesome sight. I noticed Gilbird sitting on Mattie's head, staring down at me with those beady black eyes.

"_Yes_, Gil, believe it or not." he said. I guess I looked like I didn't quite believe it, since he sighed again, the leaned forward and kissed me. Caught completely off gaurd, the most I could do was sit there in astonishment, trying to register what exactly was happening. It was a sweet, chaste kiss, just like I'd expect from him. My heart skipped a beat, I took a sharp intake of air, and my brain sort of spazzed and joined my heart in the little off-rhythm freakout. Before I could respond, he pulled away and smiled at me shyly. I'm pretty sure I just stared at him, mouth slightly agape and eyes wide.

Suddenly getting a grip on myself, I smirked and pulled him in for another, longer kiss. He gave a little _mmph! _of surprise, and I couldn't help but pull away and chuckle at him.

"You're so _cute_, Mattie!"

"Don't call me that."

"Which? Mattie, or cute?"

"I'd prefer you not call me either."

I laughed. "Fine, then. I'll call you 'birdie'!"

"Please, not that again..."

Hugging him, I sighed happily. This was more than I had ever dared dream of, and I wasn't about to let it go too soon. After a moment, Mattie sighed, too, but his was more weary.

"What's up, Matt?"

"How are we going to break this to Alfred?" he asked with exasperation in his voice.

"What, you being a werewolf?"

"No, us in a relationship."


	10. To make YOUR fangs Hollywood bright

**A/N Wow, this chapter is one of the longest! It's a bit weirdly-written...**

* * *

"_You have reached Arthur Kirkland. I'm not able to get to the phone at the moment, please leave a message._"

_Beep!_

"Hey Artie, it's me, the hero. I was wondering if you wanted to, like, come over and hang with me and Mattie? We could go see a movie or something... by the way, your voice-mail message thing _sucks_." with that, I pressed the "end call" button on my cell phone and returned to lying on the couch, watching some British sci-fi show about time travel and eating a bag of chips-no, excuse me- _crisps_.

Then I realized that I hadn't left the name of the hotel I was staying at. Oh well, he could probably use his vampire powers to find me, anyway. Speaking of which, I wondered what my blood smelled like to him... hopefully heroic. Yes, heroic can have a smell.

My phone beeped, indicating that I had received a text message.

'_Alfred, I'm bringing Gilbert over. Make sure you didn't eat ALL the refreshments._'

'_Fine by me, but idk how artie will react. Theyre 2 very different peeps._' I honestly didn't think that they would care much for each other.

'_Vampires aren't known for their social skills, I suppose._'

'_Yeah, he might try 2 eat u both!_'

'_Uh-huh. By the way, there's something I have to tell you when we arrive. Brace yourself for the worst._'

That got me worried. Was McDonald's going out of business? Did George Lucas re-release the already-crummy prequels of Star Wars, but with two Jar Jar Binkses? Was Gilbert the rival vampire who tried to kill Mattie? No, that didn't make sense...

Hastily, I put out a bag of ch-_crisps_ and some dip. I knew that wasn't traditional British cuisine, but _come on!_ No way would I subject my guests to torture like that! I turned the coffee maker on, then remembered that Artie liked tea so I started heating up some water in a kettle, which is what you do to make tea, right?

Suddenly, the familiar tune of Hedwig's Theme, which was what I set as Artie's ringtone, made itself apparent to my heroic ears, and I quickly answered it.

"Yo! What's up, Artie?"

"There is nothing wrong with my voice-mail message." he said coldly, taking me slightly off guard.

"Sorry dude, but it really is lame."

"Excuse me for having better things to do than coming up with a witty message to placate simple minds such as yours."

"... What?"

"Never mind."

"Anyway, you comin' over or what?" I asked, tossing some things into a bowl and sweeping the couch cousions free of debris.

"Yes, I suppose I am."

"Cool. By the way, Mattie's bringing some friend of his."

"Alright. See you in a bit."

"Bye."

Continuing on with the tasks at hand, I couldn't help but be a little excited to hang out with Arthur, even though that's what I had been doing the whole trip, anyway. Finally, I knew what having butterflies in the stomach felt like. Despite the fact that Gilbert and Mattie would be there, my teenage girl-ish mind was beginning to think that this was a date. Heck, it could be a _double_ date, if my theory about Mattie and Gil was correct.

With a (heroic) flourish, I turned the radio on.

"_So remember, if you know anything about the recent string of killings lately, anything at all, call in and you might get a chance to appear in one of our Thursday night get-togethers with me, Bert Healy! All thanks to our wonderful sponsor, Oxydent!_

_O-X-Y-D-E-N-T!_

_The toothpaste of the stars. To make your teeth Hollywood bright. So, for all the hour of smiles family – Ronnie, Bonnie, and Connie, the lovely Boylan sisters; Fred McCracken and Wacky, this is Bert Healy saying..._

_Hey, hobo man,_

_Hey, dapper Dan,_

_You've both got your style_

_But brother,_

_You're never fully dressed without a smile!_"

I turned the radio back off. Recent string of killings? It was more than likely that something supernatural was involved. Not necessarily Artie, of course, but I still worried a bit. Maybe it was the vampire who attacked Mattie? Or maybe it was... something else. Like... a banshee, or a werewolf, or a Jabberwock, or a _killer rabbit!_

My train of thoughts was derailed as someone knocked at the door. Suddenly remembering my previous excitement for visitors, I bounded over and threw open the door. My grin grew wider as I caught sight of who it was.

"Hiya, Artie!" I exclaimed. I was suddenly unsure what to do with my hands, so I sort of waved at him.

"Good afternoon, idiot." he grumbled. Obviously, he was having a stressful day. No matter, it was my intention to cheer him up whether he liked it or not! It didn't bother me that he had arrived waaay sooner than possible, since vampires are supposedly wickedly fast. Apparently, he thought I was dumb enough not to notice his early arrival.

"Come on in!" I said, remembering that vampires could not cross the threshold of a house without permission. Stepping aside, I granted him entrance. He muttered a word of thanks as he strode past me and into the hotel room. Since Mattie and I were staying for a while, it was more of an apartment than a hotel, and had plenty of room for guests. Our "room" had a kitchen, a large bedroom with two beds, a nice bathroom and a living room.

He sat down on the armchair with his usual gentlemanly air, and I sat on the couch across from him. For almost a full minute, I had to just stop and stare at him. No, I'm not a creep, it's just that he was the most interesting thing in the room. He just looked so... _adorable_, it was hard to remember that he was a blood-sucking creature of the night.

After a moment, he coughed slightly, alerting me to the fact that my staring probably wasn't as endearing as I'd hoped. I smiled sheepishly, and tried to think of a conversation-starter. It was obvious that _he_ wasn't going to be of help.

"So Mattie's bringing his friend, Gilbert." I said eventually.

"Yes, you mentioned that." he remarked.

_Damn!_

"Well, I just wanted to make sure that's still cool with you." I laughed.

"If you think he's worth the company, then I can tolerate him."

Did that mean Artie trusted my judgement? Ooh, bad choice on his behalf, but yay for me! Trust is always an integral part of a relationship. Or was that salsa?

Speaking of salsa, I realized that setting out scones and things would have been sort of pointless, seeing as vampires can't consume human food. Though the tea might still be fine, since he was drinking it when we first met.

"Er, want some tea? I'm not sure if I made it right, though..." I added. Luckily, the packets for the tea bags came with pretty basic instructions.

"Yes, please." Arthur said. I went over to the kitchen, poured the hot water into a teapot(which I had found in one of the cupboards) and came back over to the living room. I followed each instruction flawlessly, so that, when I handed him a cup, I was rather proud of myself.

Tea is so boring, especially since you have to let the leaves seep before it's even _remotely_ drinkable. I figured that I'd like my tea strong, so I'd have to wait an _especially_ long amount of time. I'm sure Artie doesn't mind, 'cause he has a whole lot more patience than I do.

Hmm, why did he drink tea, anyway? There's no way it could compare to blood, right? Maybe it was just his British instincts telling him that he needed the blander, waterier substance to survive.

"They ought to make blood tea..." I chuckled to myself. Then I realized that I had said that out loud. _Dammit!_

"I beg your pardon?" Artie asked, raising an eyebrow(which must have been an incredible feat, considering the size of those things!)

"Uh, nothing..." I said, chuckling nervously. Then I had to wonder why I was keeping my knowledge of Artie's vampire-ness a secret. Because if I kept it hidden, he'd keep on thinking that I was an idiot, and what harm would it do if he knew that I knew?

"If you just said what I think you just said, then let me tell you how wrong that sounds, if you thought about how you'd go about making it." Arthur said dryly.

I was saved from trying to figure that out by the door opening, revealing my little bro and his albino friend. Mattie was smiling and laughing with his pal, who had an arm around my brother's shoulders. I'll pretend that didn't tick me off a bit. (Yeah, I'm a bit self-contradictory. Wanna make something of it?)

"Mattie! Hi!" I called, waving them over. "Come join Batman and Robin over here!"

"Robin?" Artie asked skeptically.

The new arrivals joined me on the sofa. Mattie raised an eyebrow at the sight of our tea, to which I winked.

"You must be Arthur, right?" my bro asked politely. "I've heard many things about you from Alfred."

"Flattering things, I hope." Arthur said, glaring at me. I got up and went back over to the kitchen for the coffee pot.

"Oh, yes. Anyway, I'm Matthew Williams, Alfred's brother. I expect you haven't heard much about me, at least from Alfred."

I frowned, sitting down again and pouring coffee for us(I hadn't liked the tea much.) I felt like such an awful brother all of a sudden...

"He's mentioned you." Arthur said, sipping his tea. "And your... friend?"

It got about twelve degrees colder in the room, I kid you not. Maybe it was due to the fact that Mattie had accidentally left the door open, or maybe it was because Arthur and Gilbert were glaring daggers at each other.

Mattie, for once playing the oblivious role, looked down at his polar bear.

"Oh, this is Kumakichi..."

"Kumajiro." the bear said.

"I meant the... 'human' one." Artie said, his knuckles turning white.

Mattie laughed and looked over at Gil.

"This is Gilbert Beilschmidt. Frankly, I don't know why he's being so quiet, he usually likes to introduce himself..." all of a sudden, Gilbert slammed his cup down on the table and stood up, visibly angry.

"I'll tell you why I'm being quiet," he said darkly, "I'm being quiet because I'm sitting across from a _vampire_, which, frankly, disgusts me beyond the point of speaking! Also, Mattie, you should remember to introduce me as _the awesome_ Gilbert Beilschmidt."

Oh, how I wished I had a camera with me. Everyone was making such hilarious expressions! Mattie had that look that said "what is going on here make it stop" and Gil looked like he had just eaten something really nasty! But, of course, the award for funniest facial expression went to Artie, who looked so... oh, I can't even describe it in words!

"Wh-what do you mean, vampire?" the Brit asked hurriedly, trying to sound indignant. He was probably keeping the act up for my sake, which was unnecessary.

"It's alright," I said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I knew you were a vampire since the day we met."

His eyes widened, looking hurt and betrayed. It hurt to see him look like that, but what could I do? What's said is said.

"Wha- but... oh hell, you're not as thick as you seem, are you." he said, resting his face in his hands and sighing exasperatedly.

"Only when it comes to the supernatural." I said, trying to smile at him. He looked up at me, then at Gil, who was still standing, then at my brother.

"On the contrary..." Artie said, a growing intensity in his voice, "y_ou're _the one who didn't notice two werewolves walk in."

Mattie groaned, slapping a hand across his forehead. Gilbert scowled at Artie. Kumajiro dipped his paw in the dip. Gil's bird fluttered in circles around its master's head. I sat there for a moment, letting what the vampire said register in my mind.

Werewolves.

Gilbert Beilschmidt.

_Matthew._

"Oh. My. God." I said when realization dawned. "Oh my god. _Ohmygod_."

"Alfred, _please_ don't freak out," Matthew pleaded, "I'm fine with it, really, and it wasn't really Gil's fault..."

I cringed, saddened that he thought, nay, _knew_ that I would have issues with this. Standing up, I decided to try to act more mature about this than Mattie expected.

"You were right to tell me to brace myself for the worst, Matthew." I said. "I'm not happy with either of you, but at least you were going to tell me."

There we go. Firm, but mature. Mattie cringed.

"Actually, we weren't going to tell you about the whole werewolf thing..." he said sheepishly. Apparently, I was not good enough a brother to tell something like that to. Ouch.

"Then what were you _going_ to tell me?" I asked, trying to keep calm. I didn't like being mad at my brother, since he probably didn't choose this, but come on, he _wasn't even going to tell me_.

"This isn't the best time..." Mattie said softly. Gilbert scoffed.

"Why not? He'd figure it out in a thousand years or so, anyway. We're dating, Alfred. Your brother and I are now a couple." the albino said.

I didn't even _have_ to respond, as Mattie gave Gilbert a hearty kick in the shins. Arthur put his cup down(on a coaster, mind you) and got to his feet, as well.

"What a tactless way to break the news to him. Of course, tact can hardly be expected from a werewolf, can it?" he asked, crossing his arms and glowering at Gilbert. I couldn't believe it, but Artie was standing up for me. Wow.

"Guys, please don't argue..." Mattie begged, but the other two were too busy having a stare-off to pay him any mind, and I was a bit too lovestruck to do anything.

"_You're_ one to talk, you pathetic mosquito!" Gilbert retorted.

"At least I hold some sophistication. You're nothing but a mangy mutt when your time of the month rolls around."

Ouch for Gil. Double ouch.

"Ah, but _I_ don't sparkle."

That one had me laughing. Granted, I was pretty sure that Arthur didn't sparkle, but that was still funny.

"Shut it, Alfred." the vampire snapped. Then I remembered that I wanted to stay on Artie's good side. I motioned as if I were zipping up my mouth, then gave him the thumbs up. He turned back to Gilbert. "You're a beast, that's what you are. A mongrel. A crime against nature. A monster."

This was getting intense. I wanted to stop them, but I feared that I might have gotten injured if I interfered. Some battles weren't meant for _this_ hero.

"Stop it, you two!" Mattie shouted, effectively silencing them. He looked utterly _distraught_, which instantly sent the rest of us on a guilt trip. He got to his feet, shoving Kumajiro into Gil's arms. "You guys have never even met, what reason do you have to suddenly hate each other? Just because _we're_ werewolves and _you're_ a vampire doesn't give you grounds to fight like that! And you!" he pointed an accusing finger at me. "You just _sat_ there on your fat behind and watched them argue like it's a _sport! _You're all such _children!_"

Arthur opened his mouth, about to say something, then seemed to think the better of it and remained silent, mouth shut. Gilbert looked like, well, a kicked puppy, and I just started up at Matthew in awe.

"Wow." I said. "I'm so sorry, Mattie." I was quick to apologize, because I knew of his skills with a hockey stick. Gilbert looked dejected, and just sat there looking like a child who just got the scolding of his life.

"Er, my apologies as well, Matthew. But since I fear another argument might break out, I'll just take my leave." Arthur said, standing up. I was saddened to see him go, but I think we all could have agreed that it was for the best.

* * *

It was a dark and stormy night, which, I guess, wasn't particularly unusual for this country, even in July. It had been an emotionally distressing and generally exhausting day, and even _I_ was tired. After that awkward encounter, Mattie went off with Gilbert somewhere and I was left in the hotel with Kumajiro.

Locking myself in my room, I let out a long sigh. Everything had been going great until the big reveal... why did vampires and werewolves have to be enemies? That's such a huge inconvenience! I realized that Mattie sort of _wanted_ to be a werewolf, so I resolved not to bug him about it. Him with Gilbert, however, was another issue entirely.

The carpeted floor felt like magic between my toes, and I felt like listening to some Disney songs on my iPod or was the kind of magic I felt we needed at the moment, show tunes and fairies and happy endings.

I flopped myself down on the bed, not even caring to remove my shoes. Hey, even _heroes_ have their rough days. (Of course, later it was going to get rough in a _whole different way_, but how was I supposed to know that?)

When the window flew open, I didn't even bother sitting up. It was either Peter Pan or, more likely, Arthur.

"'Evening, Alfred."

Yup, it was Arthur.

"Yo, Artie."

He hissed.

"I told you not to call me that."

"Yeah, and I ignored you."

"If that's how you're going to be, I'll just leave."

"No, don't!" I said, sitting up. He had been sitting at the foot of my bed, and I was sorely disappointed to see that he wasn't trying to attach his shadow to his foot with a bar of soap. Oh well, I'd make a better Peter Pan anyway. Artie can be Wendy.

"That's more like it." he said, grinning in a dangerous way.

I shivered.

* * *

**Aaand then they fucked.**

**Guys, Alfred is so weird. Near the beginning of this chapter, he's already assumed that PruCan is a thing and he's totally cool with it, but then he's surprised and angry to actually hear it, though he doesn't get a chance to show it.**

**So, the insert song was "Never Fully Dressed" from the musical Annie. My theater group did a Halloween adaptation of it(in which I starred), which inspired this fanfiction.**


	11. Interlude

**A/N I accidentally added the previous chapter three times. Oops.**

I hummed contentedly, eyes still closed, pulling the blankets over my head to avoid the morning sunlight. Honestly, Alfred should have known to closer the blinds... even if I _wasn't_ a vampire, it still would have been a good idea. Speaking of Alfred, the so-called "hero" lay next to me, still fast asleep. Of course, I hadn't slept at all, as it was sort of impossible for one of my kind.

Ah, our first kiss had actually been Alfred-initiated. It was very cute.

I suppose it might have been his _actual_ first...

Anyway, it was presently eight o'clock in the morning, and I was lying in bed with Alfred F Jones. It was at this moment when my thirst for his blood almost overtook me, and I was forced to get up and leave, for I intended to wait just a bit longer to sink my teeth into his neck...

Peeking out from under the covers, I studied how the light fell across the bed. Carefully, I slid out from under the blanket and set about locating my clothing. Alfred stirred a bit, but did not awaken, and I managed to re-open the window with relative ease and take my leave.


	12. Moral Support

"Did Gilbert tell you about what happened, Ludwig?" I asked, munching on my pastry.

"No. Does it explain why he was crying?" the German asked, still scanning the newspaper. I didn't really like it when he did that, because that meant I got less attention from him, which I don't get a lot of to begin with!

"Si! Well, to put a long story short, he 'turned'... uh... oh, you know, that blond guy he likes!"

Ludwig blinked.

"He did? Oh, that explains it. Is... um... the new werewolf alright?"

"He's totally fine! In fact, I think he _likes_ being a werewolf!"

"But does Gilbert know that?"

I shrugged.

~_Ding dong~_

"Ooh, I'll get it!" I exclaimed, jumping up from my seat and rushing to get the door. It was flung open before I could even reach it, which caught me by surprise. So, naturally, I dived behind the couch and went into my fail-safe surrender mode!

"Bruder! What the-"

"Have any of you seen Alfred?" the Canadian(what was his name, again?) demanded, cutting off Ludwig mid-sentence. He shoved Gilbert(who had entered first) aside, looking immensely worried.

"Oh no!" I cried, instantly dropping the surrender, "Alfred's missing?"

"You've never even met Alfred," he said hastily, "in fact, I don't even know why we're here in the first place."

"Because, though I hate to say it, Luddy could be useful. And Feli can be moral support!" Gil said.

"I can do that!" I cheered.

"Useful for what?" the younger German asked skeptically.

"For finding Alfred, of course!" the albino replied.

"But Gil, you don't even _like_ Alfred that much..." the bespectacled blond said.

"That may be true, Mattie, but if he's important to you, then you can be certain I'm gonna find him!"

Mattie! _That_ was his name!

"Wait, who's Alfred?"

We all turned to Ludwig, who was looking at us like we were all insane. But hey, _he's_ the werewolf here, not me!

"Matthew's brother, of course!" Gilbert exclaimed exasperatedly.

"And I should care why, exactly?"

"Bruder! Don't be so harsh! How would you like it if _I_ disappeared?"

"You disappear all the time," Ludwig replied dryly, "sometimes for weeks on end."

"Yeah, but that's different!"

I really hate arguments. Really, really hate. Luckily, I knew of one sure way to get them to quiet down.

"L-Ludwig..." I said, tearing up a bit, "if it was my fratello who had disappeared instead of Alfred, you'd help me find him, right? Even though you and Lovi don't get along?"

"Ja..."

"An... and... it would make me so happy if we could reunite two brothers... maybe it'd show you two how precious a brother is..." tears were flowing down my cheeks by that point, as I hugged Ludwig's arm. "So... please. For your brother?"

He heaved a great sigh, then looked over to Gil.

"Fine. What do we do?"

Victory!

"Actually... after we discovered Alfred missing(and we called his cell to make sure) we sort of rushed here... we really don't know what to do." Gilbert admitted.

"I thought you knew what you were doing..." Mattie said with a melancholy sigh. Gilbert, seeing that Matthew was sad, gave him a hug.

"Don't worry, I swear we'll find him. Er, Luddy, any ideas?"

"Well, from what Feliciano told me, and what he heard about Alfred, there's that one vampire who apparently likes him..." the younger brother said, looking more than a bit bored. I silently vowed to make it up to him with a nice dinner later.

"You'd better not be suspecting Arthur just because he's a vampire and you're werewolves. I've had enough of this species rivalry!" Mattie said.

"Oh, Ludwig's not predjudiced like that!" I told the Canadian. "But you know Arthur best out of all of us in the room, I think. Would he do something like this?"

"Of course he would!" Gilbert exclaimed, but Mattie silenced him with a look.

"Hm, perhaps... he seemed very gentlemanly when I first met him, but I suppose he's our top suspect..."

"Alright! Let's go storm his castle!"

"Gilbert," said Ludwig, "do you think we'd be able to just waltz right into the place? We need to formulate a plan. Of course, we'll need some wooden stakes, and Feliciano should have some garlic on hand, so he isn't a primary target..." aw, how sweet!

"Uh, we don't even know for sure if he has Alfred!" Mattie said. "I think we should just pay him a visit. You can bring a stake or two if you like, but I won't have any fights breaking out unless he actually has my brother captive and is unwilling to release him!"

"I like that plan!" I chirped.

Since Mattie and I agreed on that, the Beilschmidt brothers had no choice but to go along with it. Mattie found a hockey stick that he would use as a weapon, if worst came to worst. I _would_ have brought a white flag, but vampires don't usually offer mercy. So, I grabbed a nice, heavy book that might work as a shield.

We set out at noon, then remembered that we had no idea where Arthur lived! Luckily, Matthew knew where the cafe where Alfred and Arthur first met was, and we all agreed that would be the best place to start.

When we got there, Matthew and I went in, leaving Ludwig and Gil outside, because we were less likely to beat Arthur up.

"There," Mattie said, pointing to a blond man sitting at a table, facing away from us, "I think that's him."

The supposed Arthur turned, and smiled at us. My, he had big eyebrows! Like, really, really big. Like someone had taken a sharpie and drawn on his face! Otherwise, he looked pretty good... bright green eyes and pale blond hair.

I skipped over and sat down across from him.

"Ciao! I'm Feliciano Vargas! You're Arthur Kirkland, right?" Matthew came over and sat down next to me.

"Pleased to meet you," Arthur said, though he didn't look all that pleased... "it's nice to see you again, Matthew. Again, my sincerest apologies for how I behaved yesterday."

"It's alright," Matthew said, "just don't let it happen again. By the way, do you know where Alfred is? I haven't seen him since last night and he isn't answering his cell."

"Last time I saw him, he was at your place..." Arthur replied.

Matthew and I exchanged a look.

"So you didn't kidnap him?" I asked. Matthew put his face in his hands and sighed.

"Why would I do a thing like that?" Arthur asked incredulously. "First off, that would be such a terrible thing to do and secondly, I wouldn't _need_ to kidnap him. That idiot would probably come along voluntarily no matter where I went."

"Because you're a v-" but before I could finish my sentence, Matthew covered my mouth with his hand and glared at me.

"Because I'm a vampire? Oh, you've been hanging out with the werewolves, haven't you. No offense, Matthew."

"None taken. But... will you help us find him? What if the _other_ vampire has gotten him? Despite his claims, I doubt Alfred could ever take on a being like that."

Arthur nodded grimly.

"You're quite right. Vampires are terribly powerful, especially when they're thirsty." He emphasized this by taking a sip of tea. "Yes, I'll help you look for him."

"Yay!" I cheered. "Now we have a full search party! We got the smart one(Matthew), the strong one(Ludwig), the cool one(Arthur), the reckless one(Gilbert) and me, the moral support!"

The vampire smiled, putting down his cup.

"I'm the cool one, hmm? I don't think Alfred would agree with you there..."

"Nah," Matthew said, "he'd be 'the hero'."

"I suppose you're right." Arthur chuckled, getting to his feet. Matthew and I followed suit. "Alright then, we'd better be off if we want to find your brother all in one piece."

Brother...

"Oh yeah!" I exclaimed, "speaking of brothers, I called Lovi on the way here, and he's bringing Antonio!"

"Excellent. We'll need all the help we can get. Some vampires are even more deadly than I am." Arthur said.

With that, we all headed out and met up with Ludwig and Gilbert, who were less than excited to see Arthur. Ludwig decided the best place to start would be the old abandoned mansion, since it seemed our lives were turning into one big movie or something. We all agreed, and took a cab there, since it was a whole forty-five blocks away and that's such a long walk!

About halfway there, I started getting nervous. Vampires are scary, even to one who's dating a werewolf! Luckily, Ludwig let me hold his hand throughout the entire car ride! With him there, I knew nothing bad would happen to me. I saw Gilbert trying to hold Mattie's hand, but the Canadian was obviously much to worried about his brother to notice, which was totally understandable, of course.

Poor Gilbert...

Arthur looked alright, if a bit gloomy. I wondered if he actually cared about Alfred, beyond the prospect of dinner. And I may have wondered it out loud...

"Feliciano!" Ludwig scolded.

"What? I was just wondering!"

"You should know to hold your tongue about a thing like that."

"It's alright, Ludwig." Arthur said dismissively. "I can see why he'd think something like that. In answer to your question... yes, I think I do care about Alfred, and that was a challenge to admit, even to myself. Don't tell him I said that, however."

I made a motion as if I was zipping up my lips, then I crossed my heart. Ludwig merely nodded.

"You should tell him yourself, Arthur..." Matthew said quietly. Arthur looked appalled at the very idea and turned his head away.

"Mattie's right!" I agreed. "No matter how scary it seems, no matter how much your pride won't allow it, you've got to tell him how you feel!"

Ludwig nodded again, still staring out the window.

"Uh, we're here..." Gilbert said, and, indeed, the cab had come to a stop. Ludwig and Matthew ended up paying the fare, as the rest of us seemed to have misplaced our wallets.

Back in its prime, it must have been a beautiful house. However, time and possibly supernatural forces had ravaged it beyond repair. It seriously gave me the spooks! I clung to Ludwig, and he remained unfazed by the creepy mansion. Gilbert gave the manor a wry smirk, looking it up and down.

"It has such a desolate feel to it... not bad..." he said.

"Let's just look around then leave if we don't find Alfred." Ludwig said, looking over at me. I nodded.

"No, he's definitely here." Arthur said. "Aside from all the blood, I can detect his scent, possibly on the fourth floor. And there's a vampire here as well. Be prepared to fight."

Matthew's polar bear(whom I had forgotten about) grunted. I felt a lot safer with both Ludwig and a bear here to protect me! Do polar bears like pasta? I made a mental note to ask Matthew later...

I sent a text to Lovi with the mansion's address, so he could find us. If Antonio came along(which was very likely) then I would feel even safer. He and Ludwig are such strong fighters, and very protective, too! Even fratello feels safer with Antonio around.

So, anyway, here we are at this imposing mansion, and we just stood there, staring up at it.

* * *

**Sorry the ending is so anti-climactic. I needed to switch viewpoints.**


	13. To The Pain

"Alright, gents, here's the plan." I said. "I head in first, since we're most likely dealing with another vampire. Matthew, you come in after me, since it's your brother and all, then Gilbert. Ludwig and Feliciano will enter last."

They all nodded, and I felt quite confident that we'd be able to get Alfred and get out, since a confrontation with another vampire could get ugly fast. I wondered who it could be... how could another vampire escape my notice for so long?

Entering the building, I wondered why I had never been here before. The place simply _reeked_ of the supernatural. It was rather clean, surprisingly. Some bloodstains here and there, but that was to be expected. Following my nose, I headed to the third floor, where I could detect at least one living body.

I sighed in relief. Alfred was still alive, and I could save him. _Who's the hero now, Alfred?_ I thought smugly.

Er, maybe not me.

As I entered the first room I came to, I could immediately sense that something was amiss. First off, there was blood everywhere. Alfred's blood. Seeing it made me thirsty, unbelievably so, but I contained myself, making a mental note to get a meal later. Secondly, the room was much to cold for this time of year, and I highly doubted that the air conditioner was working. Thirdly, Alfred himself lay off to the side, terribly injured.

He was still awake and very much alive, but he looked like he had been dragged through hell and back. The sight of him filled me with some emotion which I couldn't quite identify, but I knew I'd have to really, really hurt whoever did this to him.

I rushed over to him, trying not to breath through my nose, lest I try to eat him. He was covered in gashed and various other wounds, but he did not look like he had been a vampire's dinner.

He looked up at me, half-smiling. I could tell he was in a tremendous amount of pain.

"Hey, Artie..."

I immediately busied myself with tending to his wounds. God, why were his eyes still so bright, even after getting mauled?

"Alfred! What the hell happened? You look half-dead!" I exclaimed, avoiding coming too near the blood. You know how in the books, when someone's tending to the injured person, they rip up a shirt or jacket to make bandages? Well, I tried that. Either I'm weak or my jacket's bulletproof.

"I _feel_ half-dead..." Alfred said, struggling to talk.

"Shh." I told him, using a piece of ceramic that might have once been a broken plate to slice up a curtain that had fallen down, perhaps in battle.

"I'm really, really glad to see you." he said. "I knew you'd come for me. Thanks."

"It's your brother whom you ought to thank. He's the one that called our attention to the fact that you were missing in the first place. If it weren't for him, we wouldn't have noticed your absence."

"Mattie?" he asked, "is he here, too?"  
"Waiting outside. He should be up soon, along with some friends." I said.

He tried to smile, but winced instead.

"Geez, that hurts..."

"Sorry!" I said, still attempting to bandage him. "I don't do this very much. Usually, _I'm_ the one causing the injuries."

"Speaking of, with all my blood everywhere, why aren't you draining me?" he asked suspiciously.

"Oh, I filled up on your brother before I came here."

Alfred sat up, pushed me aside, and did a spit take with the blood in his mouth.

"What the hell?"

I pushed him back down.

"Alfred, do you really think I'd drain your brother? Plus, he's a werewolf. I don't drink werewolf blood."

"Oh..."

I smiled at him, so glad that he was alive. Even injuries of this caliber wouldn't keep him down, I'm sure. His glasses had fallen off, but I found them with ease and gave them back to him.

"Alfred..." I began, but then I wasn't sure what to say. Luckily, for once in his life, he seemed to understand.

"I love you, Arthur." he said, smiling as widely as his injuries allowed. I took a sharp intake of breath, astonished at how those words affected me. I blushed a bright hue of tomato red(I had some blood in my body from the last meal) and both my mind and heart spazzed in joy. I smiled back, shyly and not at all like I used to.

"I... I love you too, idiot." I told him, brushing his hair out of his face.

"Ah, how sweet~" _What the-_ Alfred and I both started at the presence of the new arrival, who was standing by the window. Had I not noticed him this whole time? "L'amour has such a way of warming the heart..."

I blinked in shock.

"You... you're that waiter at the cafe who flirts with every customer!" I exclaimed.

He smirked, tossing back his wavy golden hair.

"Oui, that is me. I am an amazing actor, no? You bought tea from me every day and you never noticed that I am a creature of the night like you!" he said in a very annoying, French way. "Of course, not _too_ much like you. I am so much more graceful and 'andsome than you could ever hope to be."

"He attacked Mattie..." Alfred said darkly. It occurred to me that this was the vampire who attacked Alfred, too. In that moment, my hatred for him intensified tenfold.

"Why kidnap Alfred?" I demanded. "Why make yourself known in such a way?"

"Because I wanted to lure you here." the Frenchman said matter-of-factly. "I wanted to mess around with you," he winked, and I felt like barfing, "then kill you."

Alfred sat up again.

"What?"

"Two vampires is one too many for this city." the flirty vampire told us. "Ever since I turned you, the authorities have been getting more and more suspicious. I am merely finishing what I started."

I gaped at him.

"_You're_ the one who turned me?" It all made sense. At least, it made more sense than before.

"Oui, and now I wish I'd just left your corpse to rot. Oh well, I guess this makes it more fun... two vampires, a human and true love~"

"You make me sick." I spat. "To you this is all a game, isn't it? Well, it isn't. First you bestow the curse of immortality on me, and only now when I've found someone worth living for, you wish to kill me?"

"Mm-hmm~"

"That's just wrong, dude." Alfred said.

"Who cares?" the Frenchman-back in the cafe, I remember reading "Francis" on his name tag- asked. "I'm going to kill you, Arthur, then drain your precious boyfriend."

I immediately got up and stood in front of Alfred.

"You may find that I'm not so easy to kill." I told my opponent.

"We'll see about that." He produced a sword from the folds of his cloak. Did I mention he was wearing a cloak?

"What, don't _I_ get a weapon?" I asked.

"If I wanted a fair fight, you would have a sword, too." Francis told me. "But, I don't want a fight. I want you dead."

I shrugged it off, starting to get slightly unnerved at the unfairness of it all.

"No matter, I have full confidence in my abilities." I said. Normally, swords wouldn't have any affect on a vampire, but vampires knew their weaknesses. I could tell he had doused his sword in hole water, which would burn my flesh like acid on a human.

There was no way I could win this. He was an older, more powerful vampire, and he held a weapon that reflected my doom on its shiny surface. He knew he would win, and so did I. But Alfred didn't, and I wasn't going to give up in front of _him._

But wait, if I got killed, which was likely, then Alfred would die... maybe it'd be best to just take Alfred and run... oh, but Matthew would be heading up eventually, and he, Gilbert and Ludwig could easily take on this vampire. No way was I going down without a fight.

Francis struck first. I knew I couldn't touch the blade, so I merely dodged, then aimed a kick at the hand that held the weapon. If I could disarm him, I'd have a better chance. We continued fighting in such a manner, til that frog managed to catch me off guard and hit me, causing me to fall to the floor.

He grinned, pulling the sword back, ready to deal the killing blow.

"Bonsoir, Arthur~"

I closed my eyes, and heard the sound of the blade swinging through the air. I heard it make contact, I heard blood spill to the floor.

I felt nothing.

I opened my eyes.

"Alfred!"

That _idiot._

As I looked upon the scene before my, I could feel my heart rip in two. I could never have known that it would feel quite so... _literal._

There in front of me lay Alfred, a sword through his heart and blood pooling around his motionless body. That git had sacrificed himself for me.

"Oh? How noble..." that heartless Frenchman said. "He really did love you. Too bad he died in vain, because now I shall kill you, and no one can stop me."

"ALFRED!"

* * *

**So I suck at writing action scenes.**


	14. Tis But a Scratch

**I was thinking of making you guys wait for this chapter, but I decided that THIS chapter's cliffhanger is even more suspenseful than the last, and I wanted to torture you guys further. Heck, I might even wait until Christmas to post the next bit! Unless... something ****_motivates_**** me to post it sooner.**

* * *

No. _No._ This couldn't be happening. Though, as I screamed my brother's name, I knew it to be true.

My knuckles whitened around the hockey stick in my hands, and, without thinking, I started forward, tears streaming down my face, and did the only sensible thing one could do in that situation.

I ran over and hit Francis in the head with my hockey stick as hard as I could.

Apparently, my years of playing that sport have paid off, for the vampire fell to the ground, unconscious.

I kicked him for good measure.

"Mattie? What's the-" Gil stopped short, catching sight of both Alfred and Francis. "... what the hell?"

I ignored him, preferring to join Arthur at Alfred's side.

"Alfred..." I mumbled, overwhelmed by a sudden numbness. My brother lay dying and there was nothing I could do about it.

"Who?" inquired Kumajiro, who came in with Gil.

"Oh, Matthew, I'm so sorry..." Gil said, for once using my real name. "I had no idea... about Francis..."

He sat beside me, and I leaned up against him, too distraught to support my own weight.

My brother... my loud, obnoxious, self-righteous, gluttonous, unobservant, downright _idiotic_ brother was dead.

The tears kept flowing.

Arthur, sitting on the other side of my brother, looked equally distraught. He maintained his composure with dry eyes, however.

"Um, guys..."

"What, Gil."

"I don't think he's quite dead yet."

"..."

"He's breathing. Look."

Sure enough, Alfred's chest was, just barely, rising and falling, converting oxygen into carbon dioxide.

"Ohmygod" I breathed, "for a moment there, the world seemed to stop..."

"Just because he's breathing now doesn't mean he will be for long." Arthur said, though he seemed very relieved.

"Then, maybe... you should turn him."

Arthur looked shocked.

"Unlike some creatures, I prefer to give people a choice."

Gilbert scowled.

"What did I tell you guys about the species rivalry thing?" I warned. "But, Arthur, if turning him could save his life..."

"It wouldn't be giving him a life, it'd be taking away what he has left!" Arthur said. I could see in his eyes that he genuinely believed that.

"Apparently, it sucks to be immortal." I sighed. "Yeah, I've heard it all, 'what's there to live for?', 'everyone I knew is dead', etc. Well, Arthur, how are you finding life now that you have Alfred?"

"... Absolutely wonderful."

"Mm-hmm. Could you imagine spending the rest of your life with him?"

Arthur blushed.

"Yes." he breathed.

"I'm pretty sure he feels the same about you. So, I think you should go ahead and turn him, and be happy together. He wouldn't want you to be miserable and lonely."

"Even though the awesome me is totally opposed to the idea of bringing another vampire into the world," Gil added, earning a glare from the both of us, "I think you should do it."

Arthur thought for a moment.

"I'll do it, then."

He bent over Alfred's lifeless form, breathing in what I assumed was the scent of Alfred's blood.

Only to have a gun at his head.

"Don't get any closer to him." Francis hissed, having regained consciousness. He smirked at all of us. "All right, get up, all of you. I didn't want to have to do this, but you leave me no choice. The bullet in this gun is made from silver, doused in holy water, and I have incredible aim."

We stood warily, keeping our eyes on the gun.

"Francis..." Gilbert said, with sorrow in his eyes, "don't do this. You've caused enough misery already. What happened to you? You were never one to stand in the way of love."

The way he spoke so seriously made my heart skip a beat.

Francis looked pained.

"And that's still true."

"The awesome me does not comprehend."

Francis looked at Arthur.

I understood.

"So you've been in love with Arthur this whole time." I said. "And then you tried to kill him and my brother. Is this some kind of Shakespearean if-I-can't-have-you-no-one-can thing you've got going here?"

Arthur looked disgusted.

Francis smiled at me. I realized that he was most likely insane.

"Ah, you are a smart one, Mathieu. It's tragic, no? I 'ave always loved Arthur, and it consumed every fiber of my fabulous being. Then zis Alfred comes along and it becomes so apparent that my feelings shall never be returned."

"Damn right." Arthur muttered.

"Life's not fair, is it." I said dryly, glancing over at Alfred.

"Not in the slightest. At least now it's unfair in my favor. Let's see... who to kill first..." Francis mused, cocking the gun. "I believe I'll finish Alfred off first, so you can have the pleasure of watching him die. Then Arthur. Mathieu, Gilbert, you can decide who dies last, since I hate you two the least."

Gilbert and I exchanged a glance. This guy really _was_ insane.

Francis pointed the gun at Alfred. Arthur and I tensed.

"Ciao everyone! What's going on in here?"

_Bang!_

* * *

**Ooh, a gunshot... I wonder who got hit? You'll never guess! MUAH-HA-HA-HA-HAAA!**


	15. Spain's Big Ax

**So, someone may or may not be dead... but who cares about that! Have some Spamano!**

**Apparently, some of you were not pleased with my epic cliffhanger. I don't see why, it was a pretty awesome one. I lied about waiting til Christmas to update this, though. I'm glad I've been writing well enough to make you guys care when something drastic happens!**

* * *

"So this is the vampire's house? How fucking typical." I muttered, looking up at the decrepit old mansion.

"It gives off a rather spooky air, doesn't it?" The Spaniard said cheerfully. "Don't worry, Lovi, if you get scared, you can hold my hand~"

I glared at him.

"I'd prefer you keep both damn hands on that big fucking ax of yours." I said, before realizing how... innuendo-y that sounded. Luckily, Antonio didn't seem to notice.

"Feli's really in there, huh?" he asked.

"Si."

Antonio looked a bit worried, which didn't help _my_ nerves at all.

"Lovi, in case something happens-"

"Nothing's going to happen, idiota."

"Hear me out. In case something happens, I want you to know that I love you."

I looked over at him to find those beautiful green eyes gazing into mine. My heart stuttered.

"Yeah, you tell me all the damn time."

"I know, but this time I mean it in a more... romantic way." oh god, he was being _serious._

"..." I said.

"I'm sorry if that's not you want to hear, but I can't lie to you." why the hell was he so good at looking forlorn if he never got any practice at it?

"Antonio..."

"I totally understand if you don't want to be with me. I just want you to be happy."

"_Antonio._"

"Que?"

"I-"

An ear-splitting scream pierced the air, causing Antonio and me to stiffen.

"That's..." I started, going pale.

"Feliciano." Antonio finished.

We ran.

Upon entering the room where the scream had emanated from, we skidded to a halt at the sight before us. Francis Bonnefoy, with fangs and a gun. Matthew, potato bastard number two and some guy with big eyebrows looking seriously terrified. A guy who looked a bit like Matthew lying wounded upon the floor, off to the side. Feli, shaking where he stood, too shocked to cry.

And potato bastard number one also lying on the floor, having clearly been shot.

Dammit.

That potato bastard would pay for breaking my brother's heart like this!

Oh, and the pervy frog, too, since he'd the one who actually _fired_ the bullet.

"Ludwig..." Feli whimpered, still too stunned to move.

I gave Antonio a glance, and he nodded and went to see what was happening with the frog over there. I went over to Feliciano and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Feliciano, I..." but I didn't really know what to say. _I_ sure wasn't going to miss the German, but it wasn't the time to say so.

"He can't be dead." Feli whispered, falling to his knees with his face in his hands. "He _can't_ be..."

Potato bastard number two, while Francis was distracted, came over as well, sitting next to his brother. I may detest the albino with a vehement passion, but we're both looking out for our little brothers, and I can respect him for that.

"Mein gott..." he breathed, looking even paler than usual.

Feli finally started sobbing.

It looked like I'd have to be the one to make things better, for once. I had a zany idea that likely wouldn't work, but I sure as hell wasn't going down without giving it a shot.

"Feliciano."

"S-si?" he asked between sobs.

"You love pota- _Ludwig_, right?"

He nodded, wiping tears away. It hurt to see him like this, trying so hard to contain himself for once.

"Well, wanna do something for him?" I asked.

"There's nothing we _can_ do..." Feli said, tears still running down his face.

"Wrong." I told him. "Feli, I have a crazy-as-hell, impossible, foolish idea to get back at that stupid Frenchman. Wanna give it a try?"

He looked unsure, as I knew he would. Feli was never a vengeful sort.

"I don't know..."

"Do you want everyone else here to get killed by Francis? Or worse: _outshine_ us?"

"I don't want anyone else killed..."

"Great. Albino bastard, go away for a moment. We need to concentrate."

Gilbert nodded mutely, still looking at his dead brother in horror and anguish. He moved aside, and I looked Feli in the eye.

"Ready?"

"No."

"Alright, here we go. Have you ever dreamed about... angels?"

"Si..." he said, looking a bit surprised.

"Like, _being_ one?"

"Uh-huh." he said, tears still pouring. He had grabbed Ludwig's hand, and didn't seem like he'd ever let go. For once, I felt sympathy for my little brother. I mean, imagine if Antonio died! I'd never get to eat his paella again!

And, though I still hate the guy, potato bastard protected my brother and made him happy.

"So have I. And, Feli, have you noticed that, aside from that Canadian guy's brother, we're the only two freaking humans in the room? Doesn't that seem odd? It seems that pretty much everyone in this damn group is something supernatural... except for us."

"I guess that's kind of weird..."

"It sure as hell is. Take my hand, Feli, and remember those dreams, OK?"

* * *

**Yeah, I killed Germany. And he's ALL DEAD. Not MOSTLY dead, like Alfred was, but ALL DEAD. Like, all we can do is go through his pockets for spare change.**

**Since I gave you guys this chapter earlier than planned, I don't want ANY of you bugging me about updates.**

**Anywhoo, this fanfic is almost over. Just three more chapters, and the optional happy ending which hasn't been finished yet.**


	16. Don't mess with the Vargas brothers

**OK, so this chapter doesn't have a big fight scene. I never promised one of those, so whatever. But I think it might have been better with a fight scene, though I hate writing them.**

* * *

"Francis, please, we're your amigos!" I pleaded. "No one here has truly wronged you."

"You don't understand." the Frenchman said darkly. "You don't understand! Your romantic life has always been perfect, how could you possibly understand? _You've_ never had your heart ripped out and handed to you."

"Drama queen." Arthur muttered.

"I'll kill you." Matthew growled. We all stared at him. "You hurt Alfred, you _killed_ Ludwig, thus hurting Feli _and_ Gilbert, so I'm going to kill you."

"Now, now, Mathieu, no need for _you_ to get on my bad side as well." said Francis.

"I'm not gonna let you hurt anyone else." I said.

Francis turned the gun to me.

"You die first, then."

He brought the gun right up to my chest.

Before I could do anything, he pulled the trigger.

But guess what!

I didn't die!

I'm not quite sure what happened, but there was a beautiful golden light and then the bullet disappeared, and Francis recoiled, hissing in the classic vampire style.

"Guys!" Lovino called, voice echoing, "I've figured it out! I was fucking right!"

Those of us still able turned.

So, Arthur and Francis were vampires, Matthew and Gil and Ludwig were werewolves, I had the Midas touch and the Vargas brothers...

Were angels.

Yup. I fell in love with an angel. And that angel's brother was dating a werewolf.

There wasn't much change to their physical appearance, aside from the golden glow and the wings.

They were both glaring at Francis, who was on the floor, looking more than a little terrified.

"Francis Bonnefoy," Lovino began, and I could see he was having fun with this, "your crimes against the innocent will not go unpunished. Plus, you were a lame villain and were always groping Antonio, who's too stupid to notice."

"Fratello, you're not taking this seriously enough." Feli complained, which was highly odd for him, but cut him some slack! His boyfriend was dead!

"Je suis désolé! Have mercy!" Francis begged.

"Hell no." Lovi said firmly. "You've done enough damage."

"Let's get this over with." Feli said. He was obviously uncomfortable with the whole situation, as Francis had been a brotherly figure to him before now.

They stepped forward, hand in hand, and reach out towards Francis, who was already backed against a wall.

"Feliciano, please, wasn't I always good to you? Didn't I always give you sound advice?" Francis was on his knees. "Have mercy on me, _please._"

Tears were streaming down Feli's face.

"You killed Ludwig..." he said softly.

Francis turned to Lovi.

"S'il vous plaît, Lovino... I was always there for you and your brother, and-"

"You scared the hell out of me half the time, and you made my brother cry!" Lovi exclaimed.

"Er..."

"See you in hell. I'll be looking down from heaven." Lovi spat. The light grew brighter.

And brighter.

And suddenly I couldn't see for a moment, then everything returned to normal.

The Vargas brother's wings disappeared, the light faded and I could move and thing again. However, something was different.

Francis was gone. All that was left were some ashes on the floor, glittering and settling in a small pile.

Lovi ran over to me and hugged me, which, admittedly, stunned the speech right out of me.

"How'd I do?" he asked, looking me in the eye.

"That... that was amazing, Lovi." I told him earnestly.

He kissed me.

That's where my brain sort of spazzed and died.

After he'd pulled away, we remembered Feli, and what had happened to Ludwig. The younger Italian stood crying, not really looking at anything in particular. Gilbert, who'd rejoined the party earlier, came up and hugged him, and the two started sobbing.

That brought the mood down a bit.

* * *

**This chapter is a bit short, but so is the next one and the one after that. Hey, the next chapter is the penultimate one!**

**Also, I actually felt bad for killing Germany, mainly due to Ita and Gil's reactions. Luckily, I got back at France, so I feel a bit better.**


	17. Twue Wuv

**So, this is the second-to-last chapter. You may be confused about whose POV this is at first, but it will all come clear momentarily.**

* * *

"He was very brave."

"And smart."

"And handsome."

"..."

"I mean, he was an awesome guy."

"I... I still can't believe it."

"It'll be alright, Feli."

"No it won't. Nothing will ever be alright again. Not even pasta."

It sounded like somebody had died. Not a good sign. I rubbed my head, feeling a headache coming on. How long had I been out?

_Verdammit... I knew this was all a bad idea..._

Carefully, I got to me feet. It looked like everyone was standing in a semicircle, facing away from me. There was a body, that Canadian's brother, but he lay off to the side and only the British vampire and the Canadian were with him.

Feli was crying, which wasn't that unusual. Gilbert was also crying, which was slightly more unusual. I couldn't see their faces, but something very tragic must have happened.

"We should hold a funeral."

"Ah, the only thing more tragic than a funeral is a double funeral."

So two people had died?

"Francis, of course, doesn't deserve a funeral."

"But it'd still be a double."

Three people?

I walked over to the huddled group. Feli looked more distraught than I had ever seen him, which made me wonder what had caused this.

"They both died very heroically, protecting those they loved."

"Alfred must be happy about that, at least."

"Poor Arthur..."

They were all standing around a pile of ash, which must have been Francis. I didn't see any other bodies.

"Did I miss something?" I asked.

Everyone turned. Some jumped in surprise. They all gaped at me like they were surprised to see me, or something.

"What's the matter? You all look like you've just seen a ghost." I said huffily. I didn't like being stared at like that.

"That might be the case..." the Canadian man muttered.

"How is this possible?" Antonio asked.

"How is _what_ possible?" I demanded.

Before anyone could answer, Gilbert tackle-hugged me.

"Bruder, what the hell?"

He didn't answer. He just kept crying into my shoulder.

"Alright, what's wrong with him?" I asked.

Lovino kicked me.

"You broke my brother's heart and made him cry! But you did it to save him, so I'll forgive you."

Oh.

"I was dead?" I guessed.

Gilbert nodded, letting go of me.

I looked to Feli, who didn't seem to know what to make of the situation.

"Feliciano?"

He started crying again.

"Ludwig... don't ever do that again!" he sobbed, trying to seem angry but failing miserably. "I was so scared and suddenly all alone and _you were dead_ and..."

Deciding to forget that we were surrounded by people, I pulled him close and kissed him.

"I can't promise that will never happen again," I told him, "but I _can_ promise that I will always protect you."

He nodded, then hugged me.

I smiled.

"If... if Ludwig was brought back," the Canadian began, "then... why not Alfred?"

"The angelic light energy probably just undid Francis' most recent killing." Arthur said grimly.

"Wait, Ludwig was _definitely_ dead, right?" Antonio asked.

"Yes." responded everybody.

"But, was Alfred? Maybe he wasn't brought back because he wasn't quite dead!"

After a moment of hesitation, everyone rushed over to Alfred.

"He's still breathing." Matthew said with relief. "Arthur, turn him. Now."

* * *

**Some of you were actually asking why this couldn't happen. "Why couldn't they bring back Luddy? *A*" and stuff like that.**


	18. The sun'll come out tomorrow

**This is it, the final chapter. I was gonna post it on Christmas, but this would make a lousy gift(you'll see why in a moment) so here it is as a sort of an end-of-the-world thing.**

**A few thankyous: First, to my theater group's lighting and costume designers, for putting together Halloween!Annie and casting me as the title role. That play inspired this ending, sort of.**

**Second, to all my loyal readers! I love reading your feedback, especially when I've given a horrid cliffhanger! I've never gotten such a huge response to a story before!**

**And finally, to my beloved RedKingOfCake, for helping me with one of the action scenes and getting me into Hetalia in the first place. Without him, this wouldn't exist.**

**If you liked this, go check out my other writings. There's plenty of fluff, and the only fanfic marked as angst is only labeled so because Denmark's being a drama queen.**

**A final warning: you guys asked for this. Some of you really wanted Alfred to be turned. Luckily for you, that was JUST what I had in mind! Muah-ha-ha-ha-haaa!**

* * *

Pain.

Intense, terrible pain, emanating from my neck.

Nothing a Mickey-Mouse band-aid can't fix.

I felt hungry. Nay, _thirsty._

And weird.

And _cold._

I could hear voices echoing all around me, but I couldn't distinguish them. They sounded like those crazy languages from northern Europe, like Finnish and stuff.

Through it all, I recognized a single voice that stood out.

Arthur's.

I tried to make out what he was saying, but it was difficult with all the other voices chattering away. I wanted them to kindly shut the hell up.

I called out Arthur's name, then was surprised by the fact that I could hear my own voice. It was a bit more echo-y than usual, and it _finally_ made those other voices shut up.

"Alfred?"

There was Arthur's voice again.

"Is he alright?"

Matthew's voice.

Their voices also echoed, but not quite so much.

"... in about three day's time..." I couldn't catch all of what Artie had been saying, but I'm sure it was important.

"_I_ didn't black out when..." I couldn't hear the rest of what Mattie was saying.

"'Cause our kind is more awesome." Gilbert replied obnoxiously.

What the hey was going on?

"He'll probably be hungry." someone with a thick German accent said.

"Who gives a damn?" someone with an Italian accent replied. "We don't have any 'food' here, anyway."

"Be nice, Lovi." a Spaniard, perhaps?

The pain started to subside, and the voices grew clearer. I was still cold.

Slowly, I opened my eyes, only to find everyone crowded around me.

Artie was there, and Mattie and Gil, but there were also a couple people I didn't recognize, like a buff blond dude and a Hispanic-looking man and a set of twins with brown eyes and hair, one of which looked cheerful while the other one looked grumpy.

I felt really, really weird.

Sort of dizzy, but super alert, and my throat felt very dry. I was cold.

Artie smiled at me.

Mattie beamed.

"I'm so glad you're alive!" he told me.

"Who?" his polar bear asked.

A good question, I guess, but a better one was "how?"

How was I alive?

I sat up, only to have Artie push me back down.

"Careful, love." he said.

"I want to hug my brother." I told him.

Slightly surprised by my forceful tone of voice, Arthur helped me sit up so I could hug Matthew.

"What just happened?" I asked him quietly. "What's happening? Mattie, what's going on?"

"You almost died."

I pulled back. Even hugging my brother, I was still cold.

"Yeah, I know that. It's the 'almost' part I'm confused about."

He merely handed me my glasses.

I looked at him.

At his eyes,

At his glasses.

At my reflection in his glasses.

Which wasn't there.

... Dammit.

I tried to stand up, only to have Arthur pull me back down again.

"You've got to take it easy, Alfred." he instructed me, unaware of my inner turmoil. And the cold.

He looked content, like he had eaten something recently.

I felt my neck.

Two holes.

Arthur saw that, and smiled sheepishly.

"It was the only thing we could do, love."

He had turned me.

I didn't want this. I didn't want immortality, I didn't want to drink people's blood, I didn't want to be regarded as a monster forever, and I didn't want to be a vampire.

"Who are all these people?" I asked, noticing how raspy my voice was. I was really thirsty. Still cold. It was a pressing kind of coldness.

"This is Ludwig, Gilbert's brother," Matthew began, "that's Feliciano and his brother, Lovino and that's Antonio. Feli and Lovino killed Francis."

"Don't remind me of it, please." Feliciano whimpered, clinging to Ludwig.

None of them smelled human. It bothered me that I knew that.

I looked at Arthur, who was smiling hopefully. Obviously, he had expected me to be happy about this new change. Didn't he know me at all? Vampires were never heroes. Artie had saved my life, but only by turning me.

"How do you feel, Al?" Gilbert asked.

"Different." I told him. "And cold."

"That's to be expected." Arthur said.

I tried to stand up again, and Arthur tried to keep me seated.

"I'm fine." I lied. "Let the hero stand."

Frowning, he helped me up.

I felt stable. And chilly.

I knew what I was going to do.

"We should get you something to eat." Arthur said, taking my hand in his.

I felt nauseous at the thought of draining someone. I was never one to be squeamish about blood, but drinking it was another matter entirely. Using my tongue, I felt the sharp fangs in my mouth. I hated them.

Feliciano and Lovino started whispering in a worried tone. I think they understood what I was feeling. What were they? They smelled like powdered sugar and tomato sauce.

"I was expecting this to be a happier occasion..." Antonio remarked. He was the only one willing to admit that the mood seemed sour.

I dropped Arthur's hand, and walked over to Gilbert.

"Take good care of my brother." I whispered. He stiffened, but nodded imperceptibly.

After a pause, I bolted for the door.

Everyone was too shocked to give chase immediately.

I ran like heck. It was late afternoon, but London was always awfully shady. I kept running, looking for breaks in the clouds. The filtered light though the cloud cover hurt, but it was nothing serious.

Running as a vampire, even a freshly-turned one, was awesome. I was faster than most cars going by, and I wasn't even out of breath.

I spotted some sky over a bridge, and turned in that direction.

I made it there quickly, and slowed as I reached the patch of open sky that seemed to inviting.

I stood in the shade, staring at that little patch of sunlight. I was amazingly calm about what I was going to do.

"Goodbye, Matthew. Thanks for everything." I said. "Goodbye Arthur. Thanks for nothing."

With one last glance around, I stepped into the sunlight.

I felt warm.

~The End~

**Cue hatemail.**

**(Don't forget that I plan to add an optional happy ending later! Also, I'm working on a Shakespearean version of this fic, which should be hilarious.)**


	19. Bah, Humbug

**Merry Christmas!**

**Anyway, this chapter has no effect on the fic. It's "not cannon". The sequel will be written as if this never existed, because this chapter is mainly to sooth broken hearts.**

**It's not UsUk, but at least it's a happy ending.**

* * *

"What are you doing?"

...

Why was I still alive? How many times would I have to ask that?

Someone had pulled me out of the sunshine before it could do any damage. I tried to step into the light again, but whoever it was pulled me back.

"Da-ze! Answer the question!"

I turned. An Asian boy, not much older than I, was standing there with his head coked to the side and a hand on my shoulder.

"None of your business." I told him.

"I think it is! You're a vampire, right?"

I blinked at him.

"How did you know?"

"Uh, the holes in your neck are kinda a giveaway. Also, you're really pale and you were looking at that patch of sun like it would burn you." he said with a shrug. I couldn't help but notice that he smelled delicious... I was very thirsty.

"I see..."

"You still haven't answered my question."

"Well, what do you _think_ I was doing?" I asked, a bit irritated. "I was trying to die."

"Why?"

"Because I don't want to be a vampire!" I exclaimed. "Being a vampire is very unheroic, and all I've ever wanted to be is a hero! I don't want to be immortal, I just want to be human!"

The boy snickered.

"Isn't that how it always is?"

"This time, it'll be different. I'll rid the world of at least one more vampire."

"I don't think do."

I stared at him.

"Why should _you_ care?"

"Cause you seem nice. Not _too _nice, of course. All _really_ nice things originated in Korea." He sat down, and pulled me with him.

"Well then, all things _heroic_ and _delicious_ originated from the good ol' US of A."

"Kimchi is the ultimate food. No question about it."

"Nothing can beat a classic Big Mac!"

"What about a _bloody_ Big Mac?"

I frowned.

"Listen, I'm _serious_ about not wanting to be a vampire. Just let me Rest in Peace, will ya?"

"Nope. I've decided that I'm not gonna let you kill yourself. That's the coward's way out."

"Then what do _you_ propose I do?"

"Become a _heroic vampire,_ of course! Fight the evil vampires using your heightened senses and skills, and guard this planet from darkness!" he exclaimed. "Wouldn't that be so cool?"

"No hero drinks the blood of the innocent." I said.

"Thirsty?" he asked. "Here, I'm sure my blood tastes delicious." he tilted his head back, exposing his neck.

"Do you _want_ to be drained?" I asked incredulously, suppressing a new found urge to bite him.

"Do I have a choice?"

I was about to tell him that yes, he did, but my thirst was borderline overpowering, and I figured _what the hey, might as well have one last meal._

I lunged for him, expecting no resistance. After all, I was a powerful denizen of the night, and he was a human.

Somehow, however, I ended up flat on my back and with an ache in my stomach. He had kicked me, hard.

Warily, I got up. He smiled at me.

I struck again, only to get the wind knocked out of me.

By the third time, I had wizened up a bit and stopped attacking.

"How are you doing that?" I demanded.

"I've studied marital arts for a long time." he shrugged. I suspected that wasn't the full answer. "So you see, I won't let you drink my blood. However, you _do_ need something to eat, or else you'll wither away. I bet I can pull some strings at a blood bank, or something, if you're so unwilling to drink from people."

"Are you sure you want to associate with a vampire?" I asked, a bit hopeful.

"Ever since I was six."

I thought about it for a moment, but it was hard to think on an empty stomach.

"Fine."

He grinned, then pulled me to my feet.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Im Yong Soo. You?"

"Alfred F Jones."

"Well, Alfred, this looks like the beginning of a _beautiful_ friendship."

* * *

**So I am writing a sequel. It shall be called "That Bites" and will focus on Arthur, the Asians and the Nordics.**

**Also, the Shakespearean re-write is coming along nicely. It shall be called "Sink Thine Teeth Into This Neck Of Mine" or something.**


	20. Coming Soon to Theaters

**Watch out, guys. The sequel is coming...**

* * *

You were there... for the end of Bite Me...

_"Goodbye, Matthew. Thanks for everything. Goodbye Arthur. Thanks for nothing." _

Will you be there... for the beginning of a new era?

"_Hey Mattie, ever notice how the word pianist sounds really dirty?"_

Our favorite vampire...

"_First you're hostile to me, now you're concerned for my welfare?"_

Now must face... new characters...

"_I'm Wang Yao, the dragon sorcerer. Known pretty well throughout Chinese legends."_

Murder...

"_Murders, you say? Why didn't you tell us earlier? Come now, Watson! The game is afoot!"_

Romance...

"_I want to hear his story. I want to know why he was starving himself, since vampires tend to be thin by default ~aru."_

"_And...?"_

"_And he's cute."_

Drama...

"_It's your turn, which of your Pokemon will you be using?"_

And to top it all, he has to deal with a broken heart.

"_Alfred..."_

This year... everything changes...

_"so do you fancy yourself a detective?"_

For better or for worse.

"_He tore apart the bathroom once when I was three minutes late."_

Experience the adventure of an immortal lifetime – meet the Nordics – laugh at words that sound dirty – watch the author kill off beloved characters – _change your destiny._

From the people who brought you such fanfictions as "Hopeless" and "Princess Mello", we are proud to present the story if the century... the sequel to "Bite Me"...

**That Bites**

_**Coming soon to theaters...**_


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